The air in Ryuchi Cave hung heavy, a damp shroud of earth and rot that clung to my skin like a second shadow. Torchlight sputtered against the slick stone walls, throwing jagged flickers of light that danced like ghosts. I stood at the edge of the abyss, sandals grinding into the uneven floor, the weight of this place pressing down on me—a silent promise of danger. This was no ordinary cave. This was the lair of the snakes, a crucible where power was forged or shattered.
Beside me, Jiraiya's usual swagger was muted, his broad shoulders tense beneath his red vest. His eyes, sharp and wary, darted toward the figures ahead. The White Snake Princesses—Ichikishimahime, Tagorihime, and Tagitsuhime—loomed in the dimness, their silken robes whispering against the stone, their presence a blade poised to strike. Beauty and menace coiled into one, their obsidian eyes glinting with cold calculation. Garaga, my summon, rested nearby, his massive green-scaled body a fortress of muscle, his slitted gaze flickering between us and them. Young as he was, his arrogance burned bright, a fire stoked by the pride of his kind.
Ichikishimahime stepped forward, her voice a silken hiss that slithered through the silence. "Toad Sage," she spat, her gaze locking onto Jiraiya like a predator sizing up prey. "You dare slink into Ryuchi Cave? This is no pond for your slimy kin."
Jiraiya's grin was gone, replaced by a hard line. He crossed his arms, his tone steady but edged with steel. "I'm not here to play tourist, princess. I'm here for the kid." He jerked his head toward me, eyes never leaving hers. "He's my student. He's got the guts to stand here. That's more than most."
Tagorihime's laugh cracked like breaking ice, sharp and mocking. "Guts? A child? You drag this runt into our sanctum and call it courage? Pathetic."
Tagitsuhime's smile was a thin, cruel crescent. "The toads must be desperate indeed, sending their sage to grovel before serpents. Tell me, Jiraiya, do your masters tire of your failures?"
Jiraiya's hand twitched toward his kunai pouch, but he held his ground, his voice dropping low, dangerous. "Watch your tongue, snake. I don't grovel. I'm here to see him through this. Threaten him, and you'll find out why they call me a sage."
Ichikishimahime's eyes narrowed, a flicker of dark amusement dancing within them. "Oh, we know your title, Toad Sage. It means nothing here. Step out of line, and we'll strip that arrogance from your bones."
The air thickened, tension coiling tight enough to snap. I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the standoff like a blade. "Enough. I didn't come here to listen to you trade barbs. I'm here for Sage Mode. Test me or let me leave. Stop wasting my time."
The princesses turned as one, their gazes pinning me in place, sharp and unyielding. Ichikishimahime's lips curled into a slow, predatory smile. "Bold words, little human. But first, we have questions for your… escort."
Their attention shifted to Garaga, who bristled, scales rippling like a storm-tossed sea. Tagorihime's voice lashed out, biting and cold. "Garaga, you drag this speck of a boy before us and expect us to teach him? What possesses you to trust a human?"
Garaga's head reared up, his voice a rumbling growl. "He summoned me. He's got strength in him. I don't waste my time on weaklings."
Tagitsuhime laughed, a sound like wind through dead branches. "Strength? Or delusion? You're a hatchling playing at judgment, Garaga. A fool trusting a child."
Garaga's eyes flashed, his tail lashing against the stone with a crack that echoed through the cave. "Call me a fool again, Tagitsuhime, and I'll show you what this 'hatchling' can do. I trust him because he's proven he's worth it."
Ichikishimahime glided closer, her hand brushing Garaga's snout—a light touch, but heavy with authority. "Then prove it, young one. If you vouch for him, your pride rides on his success. Fail, and we'll see how long that trust lasts."
Garaga's gaze flicked to me, a silent challenge in his slitted eyes. I met it, unflinching, and he dipped his head, slow and deliberate. "My pride's on the line. He won't fail."
The princesses exchanged glances, their expressions masked but their curiosity palpable. Then, as one, they turned back to me, their eyes boring into mine like drills. Ichikishimahime's voice dropped to a whisper, soft and lethal. "There's something… strange about you, child. Your chakra—it's not like the others."
My pulse quickened, a cold prickle running down my spine. *They feel it.* The natural energy woven into my being, the faint echo of the Nine-Tails' chakra that had marked me before I drew my first breath. I'd sensed it myself, a quiet hum beneath my skin, but I hadn't known how visible it was to them.
Tagorihime tilted her head, her gaze sharpening like a blade. "Your eyes… yellow, with slits running down the middle. Not human. Not entirely."
Tagitsuhime leaned closer, her breath a cool whisper against my cheek. "Like the Nine-Tailed Fox, but not red. Yellow. What are you, boy?"
I swallowed, my throat dry as ash. "I'm Menma Uchiha. That's all you need to know."
Ichikishimahime's smile widened, revealing a glint of fangs. "No, little one. There's more. Your chakra—it carries traces of natural energy, yet you don't pull it from the world around you. It refines within you, slow and steady, like embers waiting to flare. An incomplete sage body."
Jiraiya's head snapped toward me, his eyes wide with shock. "Incomplete sage body? What the hell are you talking about?"
Tagorihime's voice was a purr, dripping with intrigue. "It means he's been touched by something immense. A tailed beast, perhaps. His chakra is familiar it has to be The Nine-Tails?"
My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression stone-cold. "Does it change anything?"
Ichikishimahime's laugh was soft, a dangerous melody. "Oh, it changes everything. It makes you a curiosity. But curiosity alone won't save you. You must prove your worth."
She stepped back, her form rippling, expanding, until the White Snake towered before me—a colossus of shimmering scales, its eyes twin abysses of ancient power. Its voice boomed, resonating through the cave. "To claim Sage Mode, you must survive our trial. Are you prepared, human?"
I squared my shoulders, my voice steady despite the fear gnawing at my gut. "I'm ready."
The White Snake's head lowered, fangs gleaming like crescent moons, and then it struck—swift as a thunderbolt, its teeth sinking deep into my neck. Pain erupted, a white-hot inferno that tore through my veins, searing every nerve. I staggered, a raw scream ripping from my throat as the venom flooded my system. My vision blurred, the world tilting wildly as I crashed to my knees.
Agony consumed me, my body convulsing, muscles locking and spasming. The cave spun, colors bleeding into shadows, and I felt myself slipping, the darkness clawing at the edges of my mind. *No. I won't break.* I gritted my teeth, forcing my eyes open, but the venom was relentless, a tide drowning me from within.
The princesses watched, their silence a judgment. Tagorihime's voice cut through the haze, cold and clinical. "He's failing. Too weak."
Tagitsuhime's tone was laced with disappointment. "A pity. Such potential, wasted."
Ichikishimahime said nothing, her gaze unreadable, but I felt her verdict hovering like a guillotine.
And then—something shifted. A spark ignited in my chest, faint but growing, spreading warmth through the icy grip of the venom. My eyes snapped wide, and I saw them change—slits narrowing, turning golden, splitting into two reptilian lines. The pain dulled, overtaken by a surge of power, wild and untamed.
Sage energy flooded into me, drawn not just from within but from the cave itself—the air, the stone, the very heartbeat of the earth. It roared through my veins, and I felt my body transform. Two sharp horns sprouted from my forehead, curving backward, while scales shimmered across my skin, glinting in the torchlight. I rose, unsteady but alive, the agony replaced by a clarity so piercing it ached.
The White Snake drew back, its hiss a blend of shock and grudging respect. "He adapts. He absorbs."
Jiraiya's voice broke through, rough with awe. "Menma, you crazy kid—what is that?"
I stood tall, the sage mode thrumming through me, a pulse synced to the world's rhythm. But it was fragile, flickering like a candle in the wind. I couldn't sustain it. With a shudder, I let the energy slip away, and the transformation faded—horns retracting, scales vanishing. I dropped to one knee, chest heaving, sweat dripping onto the stone.
Ichikishimahime reverted to her human form, her eyes gleaming with a new light. "You've passed, child. You are worthy."
Tagorihime's smile was sharp, a blade's edge. "Barely."
Tagitsuhime's gaze lingered, probing and intrigued. "Train well, little sage. Ryuchi Cave spares no one."
I nodded, too exhausted to speak, but a fire burned in my chest—triumph, hard-won and fierce. Jiraiya clapped a hand on my shoulder, his laugh shaky but warm. "You're a damn lunatic, kid. Let's get outta here before they decide to test you again."
I smirked, hauling myself up. "After you, sensei."
Garaga's voice rumbled behind us as we turned to leave, a grudging note in his tone. "You've got guts, runt. Don't squander them."
I glanced back, meeting his stare. "Not a chance."