Third Trial Begins...

"You have cleared the second stage!" The snake said to Sasuke.

Meanwhile, Sasuke still stared at Aoda who had bowed towards him.

Sasuke bowed back towards Aoda and headed towards the main hall to see The White Snake Sage.

….

Soon…

"I see you have passed the second trial as well!" The White Snake Sage said.

Sasuke stared at the giant snake as it continued to speak.

"Do you want to continue towards the third trial?" The White Snake Sage asked.

"Yes!" Sasuke declared his intentions outright.

"Don't be impatient, as there are conditions to the last trial…"

Sasuke frowned at this statement.

"What conditions?" Sasuke asked.

"Hahaha!" The White Snake Sage laughed in an eerie voice.

"You are very straightforward…"

"In that case, I will tell you without beating around the bush…"

"The third trial is where I inject my blood, which contains nature chakra into your body."

"The blood will aid your body in the process of gaining abilities similar to a snake, like snake transformation and incredible flexibility."

"However…." The White Snake Sage paused.

"However?" Sasuke prompted.

"However…. There is also a possibility that your body might reject my methods, in which case my kin will devour you in return according to the rules of the Ryūchi cave."

"Rules?" Sasuke stared.

"Indeed, One cannot just get a power easily, just as much as we give power, we also reserve the right to expect something back, in this case, it would be your entire-self." The White Snake Sage concluded.

Sasuke thought for a bit.

Images from his childhood till his present flashed across his mind.

"Hmph!"

"I will do it!" Sasuke said.

The White Snake Sage smiled.

"Good!" The White Snake Sage said upon which, it jumped out instantaneously reaching Sasuke and bit his neck.

Sasuke fell onto the floor and started to groan in pain….

….

….

Back in the hot springs…

"What Jutsu do you want to teach me?" Naruto asked curiously…

"Well…"

"From what I have heard, you seem to know the Rasengan and the flying thunder god…" Jiraiya said while trying to come up with an answer…

"Have you heard of sage jutsu?" Jiraiya asked

"Sage jutsu?"

"Yeah, I know it," Naruto said as he concentrated for a few seconds.

"Wha…." Jiraiya stared at Naruto.

("What in the world ever happened after he talked to his dad and mom, just one or two years, maybe less and he knows all?") Jiraiya stared at Naruto.

Naruto's eyelids slowly changed to orange color till his eyebrows.

Naruto then opened his eyes.

"This is Sage mode!" Naruto stood proudly with a smile across his face as he placed his hand on his hips.

Jiraiya was completely shocked.

"No…."

"No… partial transformations…." Jiraiya murmured as he observed Naruto.

Usually, when Jiraiya transformed into sage mode, a part of his face would appear a bit floated, or in other words gaining features of a frog.

The transformation also affected Jiraiya's hands, especially his palm and fingers, which became slightly bigger appearing similar to the hands and feet of a frog.

"Who taught you sage mode?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto was stunned, unable to come up with an answer.

"Naruto!"

"Even your dad, Minato himself never really liked sage Jutsu because he sucked at it."

"But you, not only did you learn it, you've mastered it," Jiraiya said.

Naruto felt his heart beating quicker.

("Is he suspecting me?") Naruto thought.

Jiraiya folded his arms as he closed his eyes and faced Naruto.

"I've indeed picked up a genius."

"You've surpassed your seniors in the same techniques," Jiraiya said as he opened his eyes and smiled at Naruto.

("That was close!") Naruto felt like he had just been saved from walking on a tight rope.

"I have one thing I would like for you to experiment on…" Jiraiya said.

Naruto gulped as he asked.

"What is it? Pervy-Sage!"

Jiraiya stared at Naruto as he continued…

"There is a Jutsu I would like you to research on…"

"Say… it is about continuing your dad's legacy."

"Are you up for the task?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto knew that he had to avoid any more situations like the one from earlier, Naruto nodded and played along as one who did not know of what Jiraiya was talking about.

….

….

(Knock!)

(Knock!)

(Knock!)

"Come in!" Hiruzen said.

Hayate did not hesitate and rushed at full force as he arrived before Hiruzen.

(Cough!)

(Cough!)

"Hokage-sama!"

"…."

.

.

.

.

"WHAT?" Hiruzen stood up.

"It is true!" Hayate assured.

Hiruzen felt a sweat appearing around his temple region.

("The sand wants to attack?")

("That boy Kabuto, I suppose he works under Orochimaru.")

("So, Orochimaru is leading this entire operation?") Hiruzen thought as he approached the window and stared at the view of the village.

…..

…

Somewhere in the Hidden Leaf, a place filled with grassland and graves….

There were two figures near a particular grave.

One was squatting down with flowers in hand while the other stood behind and observed.

Orochimaru placed the flowers over his parent's grave.

"Hmm" Orochimaru saw a strange thing over the grave and took it in his hand.

"What is this?" Orochimaru asked as he turned towards Hiruzen and presented his hand with the mysterious object.

"It's the skin of a white snake," Hiruzen explained

"I've never... seen anything like it before," Orochimaru said in a curious voice.

"Hahaha!" Hiruzen laughed lightly…

"It's a rare item that you almost never see…." Hiruzen said.

"Why is it white?" Orochimaru asked.

"No one really cares about such things…"

"But from times past, the white snake has been a symbol of good luck and renewal."

"It must be some sort of Karma for you to find it here."

"Maybe someday…"

"You'll meet them when you're grown up" Hiruzen smiled towards Orochimaru.

...

Hiruzen then thought back to the time when Orochimaru was caught when he was performing lab test using human subjects.

How his summoning the Monkey King had told him that he was too soft on Orochimaru that he had let Orochimaru get away with it.

("There is no time for regrets…")

Hiruzen then looked towards Hayate.

"I understand…"

"Go back to your duty, from now on this is my concern!" Hiruzen declared.

"Yes!"

Hayate left the room, while Hiruzen turned towards the window yet again.

("Orochimaru!")

("This time I will perform my duty as a teacher, and teach you the lesson you were meant to be taught in the first place!")

Hiruzen sat back down on his Hokage seat.

His eyes looked around the room, finally pausing onto a yellow-haired figure in a picture.

….

In a meeting room, all seats were occupied, mostly separating into two factions.

One side was the ministers on the fire country while the other side was the high ranking elders from Hidden Leaf village.

"How regrettable…"

"The third Hokage was doing such a fine job…" The Daimyo said as he held a fan in his hand, lightly swinging it at his face.

"We need a Hokage who will change things, and enforce the law of ninjas."

"We need such a person," Danzo spoke out in a determined voice.

"And? Is there such a person?" The Daimyo asked.

Danzo stared at the Daimyo.

"Truth be told, the third Hokage was too soft…"

"He allowed the village to be pushed into a corner."

"I recommend, Orochimaru of the legendary sanin !" Danzo declared.

"Oh!"

"…"

"…"

The ministers on the fire countryside started to discuss the possibilities…

"Orochimaru is truly a genius in this age of war…" Hiruzen said,

The Daimyo looked at both Hiruzen and Danzo before asking Hiruzen to continue….

"However… A sinister will and greed lurk deep behind those eyes."

"Such a person cannot be recommended as Hokage…" Hiruzen said with confidence.

"I recommend Namikaze Minato!" Hiruzen concluded.

….

….

("Minato!")

('Thanks to unveiling you as an option for Hokage, I am now able to suspect, one person who would be willing to work for Orochimaru…")

("Danzou, don't disappoint me!") Hiruzen thought in his mind,

…..

…..

Back in Ryūchi Cave….

Sasuke's body lay on the ground motionlessly….

The White Snake Sage looked at Sasuke, thinking back to how he had struggled to have his body in his control when it was being affected by the injected blood.

"Looks like he has failed…"

The White Snake Sage said in a low voice as it approached Sasuke's body.

"I CAN'T WAIT TO EAT HIM!" Manda screamed as he rushed over.

The White Snake Sage stopped him.

"Wait." The White Snake Sage said as it approached Sasuke's body.

Snakes usually had powerful ability to sense any movements through the ground including heartbeats.

At this moment Sasuke's heart beat started to increase its rate at a rapid pace.