Ryuchi Cave was a legendary sanctuary on par with Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest.
It was home to countless serpents, including formidable summon creatures such as Manda, one of its most powerful inhabitants.
At the pinnacle of its hierarchy sat the White Snake Sage, the founder and ruler of Ryuchi Cave.
Unlike Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest, Ryuchi Cave harbored little goodwill toward humans.
Many had sought its power, but most ended up as mere sustenance for the White Snake Sage.
Though Anko had a summoning contract with Ryuchi Cave, she had never actually set foot here before.
Standing before the opulent grand hall, it was difficult to believe that this was a place inhabited by snakes.
Yet, an eerie, chilling aura permeated the air.
She could feel the Sage Mark on her body reacting, resonating with the chaotic natural energy field of this place.
The unstable energy made her uncomfortable—it would be no easy task to enter Sage Mode here.
Suddenly, the doors of the grand hall creaked open.
From within, three figures emerged, walking with graceful, deliberate steps.
They were three young women, dressed in delicate gauze robes, their faces adorned with exquisite makeup.
The three women stepped forward and respectfully bowed before Anko.
"We greet Your Highness, Anko."
Anko was caught off guard by the unfamiliar title. "Your Highness... Me?"
"Master has been expecting you for some time," they replied.
Master...
Anko instinctively glanced at Princess Kushinada beside her.
According to what she had said, the "Master" these three women referred to was another split entity of Orochimaru—one that was supposedly the most powerful among them.
The three women led Anko and Princess Kushinada deeper into the grand hall.
As they walked, Anko noticed that the interior was just as lavish as the exterior.
The opulence within rivaled even that of the Daimyo's palace.
However, after passing through the grand hall, they arrived before an ancient temple.
At last, Anko spotted a few serpents, though they were relatively small.
But when she shifted her gaze toward the temple, her breath suddenly hitched—coiled around the temple was an enormous white body.
A snake's body!
Even its width alone was nearly ten meters!
One end of the massive serpent extended inside the temple, while the other stretched endlessly into the distance.
Anko followed its massive form with her eyes, but no matter how far she looked, she could not find either its head or tail.
"Lady Anko," one of the women respectfully called.
"Master is inside."
Anko swallowed hard, her throat moving visibly.
Then, steeling herself, she took a step forward and entered the temple.
Compared to the previous grand hall, this temple was ancient and worn.
As Anko stepped inside and took in the sight before her, her pupils dilated uncontrollably.
What lay within was no human—
It was a colossal, snow-white python!
The sheer size of the colossal python was beyond imagination—its entire body was covered in countless smaller white snakes!
No, those white snakes weren't actually small; they only seemed that way in comparison to the massive serpent they adorned.
But what was even more terrifying was that this giant python had eight heads!
Its immense body extended far outside the temple—what Anko had seen earlier was merely a portion of it!
The sight of the eight-headed serpent was overwhelming.
An ordinary person might have fainted from sheer terror.
Yet, Anko felt no fear.
The moment she laid eyes on it, she experienced the same instinctive recognition she had when first seeing Hakuryu and Princess Kushinada.
This was Lord Orochimaru.
She didn't know why she could always tell—it was as if some deep intuition guided her, a primal certainty beyond logic.
But what she couldn't understand was why one of Lord Orochimaru's split entities had taken the form of... such a monstrous being!
The eight serpent heads regarded Anko in return, their massive reptilian eyes reflecting human-like emotions.
Then, one of the heads slowly lowered and moved toward her.
Anko remained motionless, watching as the enormous, fearsome head approached.
Instead of recoiling, she reached out and placed her hand upon its smooth, cold scales.
"...Lord Orochimaru…"
Murmuring the name, Anko spread her arms wide, attempting to embrace the serpent.
But it was far too massive—her upper body could only press against its snout.
And then, to her astonishment, the great serpent closed its eyes, responding to her touch with a quiet acceptance.
"…Lord Orochimaru."
The massive serpent did not speak.
It only let out a low, hissing cry.
Anko realized that the creature seemed unable to speak.
She placed a hand on its serpent-like head, gazing into one of its eyes.
Princess Kushinada leaned in closer and said, "It's calling your name."
Anko remained silent for a moment before replying, "It's not 'it'—it's 'him.'"
..............
After discovering that he could no longer sense Anko's location, Kakashi continued heading toward the last place where her presence had been detected.
However, even after arriving, the purple magatama given by Makoto still failed to pick up her whereabouts.
Despite this, Kakashi could still sense the chakra of Hakumen and the others in the distant village.
Summoning his ninja dog, Pakkun, to track her scent, the conclusion was the same—Anko's presence had vanished into thin air at this location.
Left with no choice, Kakashi and Guy returned to the village to report.
However, Makoto had already anticipated this outcome before they even arrived.
"They were transported away by space-time ninjutsu," he told them.
Kakashi wasn't surprised.
If Makoto could craft a magatama capable of tracking them, then he likely had other means of knowing their whereabouts as well.
He asked, "Were they taken far away?"
Makoto pondered for a moment. "You could say that… or perhaps there's a special technique blocking my perception."
Indeed, he could no longer accurately detect Anko's location.
The connection through Kite seal was flickering—intermittent, as though leading into an unknown domain.
Orochimaru had taken her.
Makoto recalled the words left for him that day in the research facility.
"Do you intend to keep me in this state of fear forever…?"
"Leave me," he instructed Kakashi and Guy.
Then, he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out into the distance at the towering Solarity Tower.
His expression remained neutral—neither sorrowful nor joyful.
Was there still anything left in this world that could make him afraid?
The Next Day.
Makoto, accompanied by Hakumen and Tsunade, boarded the Hokage's carriage and set off for the capital of the Land of Fire.
This grand procession had been arranged by Hakumen, but Makoto took control of the convoy and directly lifted it into the sky, flying swiftly toward the capital.
It was Tsunade's first time soaring through the air.
Seated inside the carriage with the Hokage, she kept glancing out the window, marveling at the view.
The rest of the procession members reacted much the same way.
The speed of flight was astonishing—in less than half an hour, they had reached the capital.
Upon hearing of the Hokage's arrival, the Daimyo's residence immediately dispatched a welcoming party, led by General Oda Isamu, accompanied by a group of ministers.
"Lord Hokage!"
The officials all bowed in greeting.
By title, the Hokage's authority was second only to the Daimyo within the Land of Fire.
Just a day ago, many within the court had secretly criticized the Hokage for allowing Anko to forcibly take Princess Kushinada.
Yet now, standing before Makoto, not a single person dared to mention it.
Each of them wore respectful expressions and greeted him with smiles.
In this unprecedented time of crisis, with the Daimyo dead and the nation in turmoil, the Hokage's influence had risen to unprecedented heights.
After a brief exchange of formalities, Makoto followed the officials into the Daimyo's residence.
During this time, Seirengoku also came forward to greet them—after all, they were still Konoha's ninja.
Before the Spirit Hall, after paying respects to the deceased Daimyo, Makoto was approached by the Daimyo's widowed wife, who led a young boy to stand before him.
"Sir Hokage."
This boy was to be the future heir of the Land of Fire.
Makoto exchanged a few symbolic pleasantries, nothing more.
However, the former Daimyo's wife was exceedingly warm and eager in her attitude.
She even instructed her son to show Makoto the deference of a junior, despite the fact that they were nearly the same age.
Many watchful eyes around them observed the exchange, each harboring their own hidden agendas.
But to Makoto, this so-called heir and everything around him held no significance.
In his eyes, this entire chamber—its royals and ministers alike—was filled with the dead.
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