Chapter 67: Ryuchi Cave (I)

~Orochimaru~

Orochimaru looked around alertly as soon as he noticed the difference is his surroundings.

He noticed that he seemed to be inside of a dark cave that was filled with a large amount of fog.

He began moving while making his footsteps silent so that he didn't alert any of the residents here.

'Something's not right here.' Orochimaru thought to himself as he continued moving.

Orochimaru traveled for about a minute before he looked down and saw small tracks that he had left before on the ground.

'I'm going in circles. That means I'm either caught in a genjutsu or trapped in a maze.' Orochimaru deduced as he flared his chakra.

Right after he did that, he then noticed a delicately designed gate appear in his peripheal vision.

Orochimaru cautiously walked over to it, with him arriving and seeing a fair skinned woman with dark hair standing their as if waiting for him.

"Welcome!!" the woman greeted excitedly with a smile, one that Orochimaru reciprocated as he smiled as well.

"I'm here to meet with the head of this summoning land if you don't mind." Orochimaru said, though he noticed the woman's eyes narrow for a split second before they returned to normal.

"Is that so? Well how about I send the White Snake Sage a message while you go inside and relax. I'll even bring you something to eat." the woman said, to which Orochimaru nodded and entered.

Orochimaru sat by himself for a minutre before the woman returned with a bowl of ramen.

"Here!! Please enjoy!!" the woman spoke with a large smile on her face.

However, instead of eating, Orochimaru simply asked "So for how long are we going to play this game?"

The woman adopted a confused look as she asked "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"I mean the fact that the food you just placed down doesn't really exist." Orochimaru answered.

Orochimaru had never relaxed his guard after he realized that he was inside of a genjutsu. He was constantly disrupting his own chakra network to prevent himself from being caught in another genjutsu, allowing him to immediately realize that the food she placed on the table wasn't real.

The woman's face distorted into that of a snakes as she said "You should have just eaten the food!!"

Orochimaru jumped back and began to weave signs to mold his chakra as he prepared for a fight.

However, just as the two were about to begin their battle, a voice was heard in both of their ears as it said "He passed the test. Allow him to begin the next trial."

"Tch." the woman clicked her teeth as her face returned to its more human like appearance as she stared at Orochimaru with annoyance.

"Could you tell me the name of these lands?" Orochimaru asked as he still didn't know where he had been summoned, only that it was the home of a group of snakes.

"I guess you should at least know where you're going to die at. You have arrived at Ryuchi Cave, home of the Snakes and the White Snake Sage." She answered.

Orochimaru then began to head into the fog since it was the diretion of the next challenge, though he did look back at the snake and asked "And what's your name?"

She looked at Orochimaru with a surprised look before it morphed into a genuine look of confusion as she asked "Why?"

"I need to know the people that I'll be summoning in the future don't I?" Orohimaru asked with a smirk.

"Tagorihime. What your name, my new summoner?" she said with sarcasm after she clicked her teeth.

Orochimaru continued to walk into the fog, with him answering the question as he walked away by simply saying "Orochimaru."

The last thing he heard was Tagorihime's voice as she said "It's too bad that I didn't get to eat you, but don't expect to survive till the end."

Orochimaru payed her no attention as he continue on through the fog to start the next trial.

Read chapters ahead on P@treon.com/KillerDJ2023