Non-stop, continuous bombing within a one-kilometer area.
The ground shook violently, flames blazed, and splattered continuously from the force of the explosions.
The roaring sound startled running birds and animals, who thought the end of the world had come.
The cave collapsed, turning into debris, which scattered under the impact of the explosions.
Sasuke stared blankly at the scene before him.
"The ground... it's like a layered cake, being blown apart layer by layer."
After only a few minutes of continuous bombing, the ground of Ryuuchi Cave had "sunken" a full half meter. He could already see winding tunnels below.
If they went down to search themselves, these tunnels were so complex, who knew how long it would take to find their way. And if there were illusions, mazes, and traps, they could easily fall into the snake sages' traps.
First, Tagorihime and Orochimaru joined forces to try to kill them. Now, Ryuuchi Cave and Kumogakure were working together to rob them.
"Going back and forth, they're getting so familiar..."
Linto watched the poisonous snakes burning in the explosions and flames.
"Let's get even more familiar then."
Just then, a huge snake head with diamond-shaped patterns emerged from the ground.
Its name was Aoda, and it was part of the younger generation in Ryuuchi Cave, mainly working as a gatekeeper.
After crawling out of the ground, caution filled Aoda's snake eyes, and it carefully looked at Linto and Sasuke.
"A little kid."
"And a man with a big sword... that's right, it's Linto."
Aoda had a bad feeling ever since Tagorihime fled back.
Linto would come sooner or later.
It had heard about Linto's victories so far. Although the White Snake Sage was unbeatable, that was the White Snake Sage.
Looking at the snakes outside that had been burned and blown up, Aoda didn't want to become one of the dead cannon fodder.
Aoda had wanted to find an excuse to go out and "travel," but—
"He's here way too fast!"
"Couldn't you go to Kumogakure first?!"
Aoda had countless thoughts, and suddenly, it met Linto's gaze.
Oh no!
Linto looked at the somewhat dumbfounded Aoda and asked the first question he had for Ryuuchi Cave:
"Have you eaten people?"
As soon as he arrived near Ryuuchi Cave, he heard the wails of the dead through "World Breath."
This place... people had died here.
Many, many people!
Aoda didn't dare to answer. It dove back into the cave and frantically ran downward, shouting as it went:
"It's bad! It's bad! Linto is attacking!"
Along with the resuming bombing, Aoda's cry, like an air raid siren, echoed through every tunnel in Ryuuchi Cave.
It ran back to the depths of Ryuuchi Cave.
The White Snake Sage was still an old woman, leaning lazily on a giant cushion, holding a pipe and taking small puffs, not caring about Linto outside at all.
The only remaining of the three goddess sisters, Awashima, was serving beside her. Hearing Aoda's shouts, she shuddered involuntarily.
She was truly afraid.
Only those who had truly faced Linto, standing within his firing range, could understand the helplessness of not being in control of their own lives.
If Ichikishimahime hadn't spoken first, she was the one who would have been grabbed by Star Platinum!
The White Snake Sage took a puff of smoke, let out a satisfied sigh, and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Squawking like that, what kind of behavior is that? Linto's right outside, who will go out for me?"
No snake answered.
Who was Linto?
The madman who killed the Three-Tails Jinchuriki Yagura, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki Yugito, overthrew the Bloody Mist Village, and publicly murdered the Land of Water Daimyo.
Even if these people were unfamiliar to the snakes of Ryuuchi Cave, they knew Orochimaru.
This young man with survival skills close the White Snake Sage, who had mastered many forbidden techniques, had actually died at Linto's hands.
Everyone here had been training for a lifetime, from a small snake with blurry consciousness to a great snake. Who wanted to risk their lives?
Was it to go out for the White Snake Sage, or to...
Die for her?
That's what most of the snakes in Ryuuchi Cave thought.
Of course, not all great snakes feared Linto, for example—
Manda.
Manda already had horns on its head and a tail behind it, on the path to becoming a dragon.
It thought its raw strength was no weaker than a Tailed Beast, and without the limitations of a "Jinchuriki," it was definitely stronger than most Tailed Beasts.
Moreover, it was Orochimaru's summoning beast. When Orochimaru was alive, Manda never went hungry.
Linto killed Orochimaru, which was like taking away Manda's food bowl. With new and old grudges combined, it wanted to kill Linto.
However, Manda didn't speak.
It lay on the ground, its snake eyes staring at the White Snake Sage.
Manda wasn't afraid of Linto, but not being afraid didn't mean it wouldn't get hurt.
You White Snake Sage, just open your mouth and you want others to risk their lives...
Without giving some benefits?
The White Snake Sage met Manda's gaze, chuckled, and said, "What do you want?"
Manda slowly straightened up, "After I kill Linto, I want the right to use the Dragon Snake Orb for fifty years."
"No problem."
"And half of the 'snacks' in your warehouse... I want the tender ones, don't try to fool me with old bones."
The White Snake Sage took a puff of smoke, gently exhaled, and the smoke swirled, hazy, covering her old face, leaving only a pair of squinting snake eyes, watching Manda quietly through the smoke.
"Okay, I agree."
"Great!"
Manda suddenly straightened up, its lazy air disappeared instantly, and terrifying killing intent spread from every scale, bloody, hideous, and terrifying.
It jumped up and climbed up the cave, its roar coming from afar:
"Prepare my 'snacks', I'll eat them with his blood after I kill Linto!"
Aoda watched Manda's back.
The confident expression.
The grown "dragon horns."
The power contained in its body that made the other snakes tremble.
Aoda's snake eyes were filled with envy.
Manda rushed out of Ryuuchi Cave, its roar echoing through the ground. Soon, Aerosmith's bombing actually stopped.
Aoda exclaimed: "As expected of Manda, who has already grown dragon horns. It can easily do what we can't!"
Awashima's tense shoulders finally relaxed.
The snakes cheered.
Only the White Snake Sage still lowered her head, taking puffs of smoke, the thick smoke enveloping her little by little.
Boom—
Just as the snakes' cheers reached their peak, a heavy rumble came from above.
Different from Aerosmith's missile bombing, this rumble was more muffled and heavier, like someone hitting the ground hard with a giant mallet.
The cave above shook and trembled violently, and large pieces of rock fell.
"What happened! Is Manda fighting Linto?"
Awashima felt her hands and feet turn cold. Each impact felt like it was hitting her chest, and her heart almost stopped beating.
The sound got closer and closer, and snake heads raised, staring straight at the ceiling, until the crashing sound was just inches away—
Boom!
A large area of the cave collapsed.
A snake head with horns stretched in from the broken opening of the cave.
It was Manda, who had just made a deal with the White Snake Sage and rushed out to take Linto's head.
However...
After only a few minutes, Manda's skull was shattered, and gooey, yellow-red brain matter flowed down, corroding the ground, and a pair of grey snake eyes stared straight at the snakes.
Rattle... rattle...
Manda's body was slowly dragged back.
The dazzling sunlight shone through the broken opening, and Aoda stared blankly at the sunlight.
This was the first time since Ryuuchi Cave was established that it had been exposed to the sun!
Clang.
The tea that Awashima was pouring for the White Snake Sage fell to the ground.
She shook like a leaf, her eyes filled with fear. Following her gaze, Aoda saw—
"There are quite a few people."
Linto stood at the edge of the cave, his voice steady, asking without extra emotion:
"Everyone, have you eaten people?"
The White Snake Sage tapped her pipe, waved away the lingering smoke, and looked at Linto with a smile:
"We have, so what? And if we haven't, so what?"
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