The blade of his Susanoo… shattered!
Shit! Before Sasuke could fully process it, the black-scaled serpent made no move to press its attack.
Sasuke's gaze sharpened. He dismissed his Susanoo without hesitation, putting more distance between them in the air as he watched the motionless black snake from afar.
Its fighting instinct is weak. Is it poor at combat? Or is it… afraid of it?
"Kurotama!" Aoba hissed from below. "Attack him!"
The black serpent—Kurotama—hesitated for a fraction of a second, then its wings beat, propelling it forward in pursuit.
Those dense black feathers are potent armor. If it actually uses them as weapons… I can't let it get close.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning.
—Amaterasu!
Shwoom!
Black flames erupted, swallowing Kurotama whole. The fire licked over its obsidian plumage, crackling and popping with violent heat.
"AAAAAAAGH! I'm burning! I'm burning! I'm gonna die!"
Kurotama shrieked, flailing uselessly in mid-air.
"Don't panic!" Aoba shouted, its voice cutting through the chaos. "Launch your feathers at him! All of them!"
"Huh? R-really?" Kurotama stammered. "But… what if I actually kill him?! I—I don't wanna kill anyone!"
Aha. Sasuke understood now.
"Don't worry!" Aoba yelled back, absolute certainty in its tone. "I guarantee he won't die!"
"O-okay… I trust you, Aoba-nii…!"
Zzt!
Kurotama's dark eyes flashed, glowing with a crimson light.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The burning black feathers detached from its body, becoming a swirling, fiery storm of obsidian shards and pitch-black flames—all hurtling straight for Sasuke.
Sasuke's lips tightened. "I underestimated you. That's… an impressive ability."
Zzzzt…!
On his forehead, the Yang Seal unraveled. The intricate markings flowed down, crossing over to the unconscious Itachi on his back, swirling around his brother's eyes.
Itachi… lend me your power once more.
Sasuke formed a single hand seal. Crimson Susanoo chakra surged from his body, solidifying into a skeletal, half-muscled warrior. In its hand materialized a radiant, octagonal shield.
—The Yata Mirror!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Golden light flared from the mirror's surface. The incoming storm of burning feathers rebounded, sent hurtling back towards their originator with even greater force.
"So scary! So scary!" Kurotama wailed, tumbling backwards. "He uses evil magic! He's a monster!"
Shwick. Shwick. Shwick.
New feathers sprouted across Kurotama's body at a visible rate. And within those nascent black plumes… Sasuke could swear he saw faint, lingering sparks of Amaterasu's dark fire.
A monster? Sasuke thought, a cold smirk touching his lips. "If anyone here is a monster… it's you."
Swish—!!
—Susanoo Body Flicker!
In a blink, Sasuke and his crimson warrior vanished. They reappeared directly above the flailing Kurotama. The Yata Mirror came down like a divine hammer.
—Yata Mirror: Repelling Strike!
BONG!
Golden light erupted on impact. Kurotama was smashed from the sky, cratering into the ground below. Stars literally spun around its dazed head.
Aoba watched from the sidelines and let out a long, resigned sigh. "Great Ancestor… we did our best. There was nothing more we could do."
Aoba made no move to continue the fight. Sasuke dismissed the Yang Seal. The Susanoo vanished. His Cursed Wings beat the air once, and he shot towards the distant horizon, Itachi secured on his back.
As the silhouette of the ancient temple grew clear, two new serpents emerged, blocking his path. They dwarfed even Manda, each easily three times his size. Their base scales were black, adorned with perfect, alternating rings of brilliant gold and shimmering silver.
The third-generation Snake Kings of Ryūchi Cave. King Kobra and King Krait. Both over a century old, they say. King Cobra, Manda's father, isn't here… Is he with Kabuto, then?
Sasuke's expression was calm. Earlier, out of respect for his former subordinate Aoba, he'd held back against the four guardians. Kurotama's ability was surprising, but using Itachi's Yata Mirror was simply the most efficient solution. It didn't mean he needed to.
Thud.
Sasuke landed before the temple gates, Itachi still on his back. His eyes, hard and unyielding, locked onto the twin serpents.
—"Move."
King Kobra and King Krait exchanged a glance. The meaning was clear in their reptilian eyes: The audacity of this human brat!
BOOM!
Golden flames, dense with natural energy, erupted from King Kobra's maw. A torrent of silvery, pressurized liquid shot from King Krait's jaws. Both attacks were Sage Arts, their power vast and overwhelming.
But Sasuke, having absorbed the third state of the White Cursed Seal, possessed chakra reserves of a different caliber. The scale of his ninjutsu could now rival sage techniques.
—Fire Style: Blazing Dance!
A pillar of fire roared from Sasuke's mouth, meeting the golden Sage fire head-on in a violent clash.
—Water Style: Water Dragon Ascension!
His hand seals flowed without pause. The water at his feet surged upwards, coalescing into a roaring dragon that collided with the silver Sage torrent.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He held the line against both serpents simultaneously.
Clap! Sasuke brought his palms together before his chest.
—Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!
CRACK! CRACK!
Two mighty wooden dragons erupted from the earth. They weren't as massive as the serpent kings, but they coiled tightly around the lower halves of their colossal bodies. The twin kings initially ignored the bindings—until the dragons' jaws clamped down on their tails.
Their eyes widened in panic.
Our sage chakra… it's being drained!?
RUMBLE…!
Fed by the stolen sage power, the wooden dragons swelled in size, their constricting coils growing impossibly stronger. This directly tipped the balance of the elemental clash above.
BOOM! BOOM!
Sasuke's fire and water techniques surged forward, overwhelming their counterparts and crashing into the giant serpents' bodies.
"Damn it…!"
"Curse you…!"
KABOOOOOM!
With a deafening roar, the two behemoths collapsed… revealing themselves to be nothing but shed, hollow skins. The real Kings Kobra and Krait had used molt to escape the dragons' grasp. They coiled, ready to launch a fresh assault.
But then, a voice, ancient and weathered, drifted from the depths of the temple.
"That's enough, Kobra, Krait. If you keep this up, you'll reduce my humble abode to rubble. He has proven his worth. You may stand down."
The gold and silver-ringed serpents bowed deeply towards the temple. Maintaining their reverent posture, they slithered backwards into the mists flanking the path, their forms and presence fading away.
Creeeak…
The great temple doors swung inward. The ancient voice spoke again, now far gentler than when it had commanded the serpent kings.
—"Uchiha Sasuke. Come in. I have been expecting you…"
Sasuke took a moment to steady his breathing. Adjusting his grip on Itachi, he stepped across the threshold.
In the antechamber, standing at the hallway's entrance, was the snake-woman he had defeated earlier. She flicked her forked tongue at him.
"Kekeke… You're not the only one who can use clones, you know."
Sasuke ignored her completely, walking past without a glance.
"Kekeke…" Her slitted eyes followed him.
Beside her stood two other snake-women, their auras identical in ancient power. All three watched the young man with keen, curious interest.
These were the second-generation Snake Kings of Ryūchi Cave: Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime. Elders whose status was second only to the White Snake Sage herself.
Under their triple gaze, Sasuke entered the main hall.
There, coiled upon a grand stone seat, was the millennium-old sovereign of serpents. Orange hair, yellow serpentine eyes, a long pipe held between her lips.
—The White Snake Sage.
Sasuke stopped before the dais. He inclined his head slightly, his posture respectful but devoid of subservience.
—"This junior, Uchiha Sasuke, pays his respects to the White Snake Sage."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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