"I… am so strong!"
As Kabuto stepped into Sage Mode and organized the knowledge Orochimaru had once taught him during this period, his appearance had changed drastically—not only had his skin turned deathly pale, even his legs had transformed into a serpent's tail.
The sacrifice in appearance had brought about an enormous boost in strength.
At this moment, Kabuto couldn't help but feel a vague illusion—even Orochimaru might be nothing special in front of him now!
However, Kabuto ultimately suppressed these stray thoughts. He knew very well that Orochimaru still possessed a trump card—a forbidden technique: the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique.
That was a unique forbidden jutsu Orochimaru created after witnessing the power of the tailed beasts, allowing him to transform into the legendary Yamata no Orochi and wield terrifying power comparable to a tailed beast.
Although Kabuto had now entered Sage Mode, his base strength was only that of an ordinary jōnin. Even with Sage Mode's enhancement, his combat power was at best just barely at the Sannin level—Kage-class.
"No—you're still not strong enough!"
Just as Kabuto successfully mastered the Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode, the White Snake Sage appeared before him.
When the White Snake Sage saw Kabuto—the Sage foretold in its prophecy—standing before it, a trace of joy flickered within its cold, snake-like pupils.
Since Kabuto had successfully mastered Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode, it meant the prophecy had been correct.
The human it had chosen truly possessed the potential to, single-handedly, ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War!
"In my prophecy, you mastered a forbidden technique called Impure World Reincarnation."
"You refined that technique further. With its power, you could even wage war against the entire ninja world!"
The White Snake Sage's voice echoed beside Kabuto like a demon whispering from the depths of hell. The reason it had gone to such lengths to groom Kabuto was simple—it wanted revenge.
Ryūchi Cave had stood alongside the other two great sage regions for thousands of years. Yet now, Mount Myōboku still stood intact, the Shikkotsu Forest remained untouched, and only Ryūchi Cave had been crippled by Uchiha Keizumi—so badly that even the White Snake Sage had been forced to flee.
It wanted Kabuto to directly target Uchiha Keizumi.
But when it recalled Keizumi's methods, it forcibly suppressed that thought.
There was no complicated reason.
The White Snake Sage was simply afraid of dying.
It feared that if Kabuto were sent after Keizumi and ended up defeated, that Uchiha brat might conveniently send it to the Pure Land as well.
"Impure World Reincarnation…"
"That forbidden technique Orochimaru-sama has been researching…"
Kabuto was naturally very familiar with Impure World Reincarnation. After all, even its improved versions had been developed with his direct involvement under Orochimaru.
The original version could only summon the dead, allowing them to use their kekkei genkai. However, those resurrected were limited by the caster's own strength.
Senju Tobirama had never intended for the technique to grant infinite chakra—the chakra was entirely supplied by the caster.
Orochimaru's initial improvement eliminated that burden.
In the second version, the resurrected were directly connected to the Pure Land, drawing chakra from it—this was the origin of the so-called "infinite chakra."
Most of Orochimaru's subsequent refinements were simply modifications built upon that second version.
From requiring the original ninja's cells as sacrifices, to later allowing even White Zetsu to serve as vessels—these were all Orochimaru's incremental improvements.
The final version, however, was perfected by Kabuto himself.
The Impure World Reincarnation he used not only retained all of Orochimaru's advantages, but also allowed his own consciousness to attach to the resurrected bodies.
Most importantly—
Kabuto's version had no limit.
Although the Fourth Great Ninja War he initiated was jokingly called the "dream fulfillment war," the sheer number of resurrected shinobi alone proved just how far he had lowered the threshold of the technique.
"Exactly. As long as you fully master that forbidden technique, you will truly possess the power to stand against the entire ninja world!"
"When that time comes, help me destroy those toads of Mount Myōboku, as well as the Shikkotsu Forest—and we'll call it even!"
The White Snake Sage was both cowardly and bold in equal measure.
It didn't dare provoke Uchiha Keizumi—but going after Mount Myōboku and the Shikkotsu Forest? That, it absolutely had the guts to do.
It had not forgotten that when it had been beaten into fleeing by Keizumi, both Mount Myōboku and the Shikkotsu Forest had stood by and done nothing.
That grudge—it would settle.
Besides, if Ryūchi Cave had been mostly destroyed, why should the other two sage regions remain intact?
If they were called the Three Great Sage Regions, then losing one made the whole set incomplete!
Deep down, the White Snake Sage harbored another unspoken scheme.
If Kabuto truly managed to destroy Mount Myōboku and the Shikkotsu Forest, then he would inevitably come into conflict with Uchiha Keizumi.
It knew very well that the Shikkotsu Forest had a contract with Keizumi. At that point, whether Kabuto wanted it or not, he would clash with him.
As for what would happen if Kabuto were killed and exposed the White Snake Sage?
It didn't care.
It had already prepared to hide in the depths of the sea and sleep there forever—Ryūchi Cave be damned!
After all, it had never directly ordered Kabuto to fight Uchiha Keizumi.
And if it just picked a random spot in the ocean and hid, it refused to believe Keizumi could boil the entire sea just to kill it!
"Destroy Mount Myōboku and the Shikkotsu Forest…"
Kabuto's expression turned heavy.
He had known all along—there was no such thing as a free lunch.
If Ryūchi Cave had someone like him who had mastered Sage Mode, then the equally renowned Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest would surely have their own Sage Mode masters as well.
Destroying those two sage regions… Kabuto wasn't confident.
"Work with us."
At that moment, just as the White Snake Sage and Kabuto were speaking, a sinister voice suddenly rang out.
Under their gaze, the ground bulged upward.
Then, a strange figure emerged—half of its body black and charred as if burned, the other half pale white.
Black Zetsu had finally found Ryūchi Cave—and the newly awakened Sage Mode Kabuto.
As Black Zetsu surfaced, the White Snake Sage's gaze grew serious.
Its prophetic visions were fragmented—but within them, it had clearly seen just how meticulously this being called Black Zetsu had schemed to resurrect Uchiha Madara.