The journey back to the base for Orochimaru and Ye Zi was anything but smooth. After barely escaping Minato's pursuit, they faced an attack from ROOT operatives. Thanks to Orochimaru's extensive experience, he managed to navigate through the ambush; otherwise, they might have met their end along the way.
Upon returning to the base, the sight of Ye Zi's grievous injuries caused an uproar among the others. Orochimaru, however, quickly suppressed the commotion and summoned Nanako to provide treatment for Ye Zi.
When Nanako saw Ye Zi's condition, it triggered memories of her past. Without asking Orochimaru for details, she immediately set about treating him.
By the time Ye Zi woke up, Orochimaru happened to be in the room. No one else in the base was aware of the situation.
"You want to seek the power of the White Snake Sage to train in Sage Mode? That method comes with significant risks," Orochimaru said after hearing Ye Zi's intent.
"I'll handle it," Ye Zi replied calmly, meeting Orochimaru's gaze.
"Handle it?" Orochimaru sneered. "With Jūgo here, you could master Sage Mode without any risk given enough time. If you truly understood 'handling it,' you wouldn't be rushing off to find the White Snake Sage now."
"There's no time. I need to retrieve Kotoe's body," Ye Zi said, his voice steady as he locked eyes with Orochimaru.
"You're planning to attack Konoha?" Orochimaru's expression betrayed his shock. Kotoe's body held immense research value for Konoha, so it was undoubtedly heavily guarded. A stealth mission was impossible; the only way to retrieve it would be through a direct assault, creating an opportunity amidst the chaos.
Ye Zi's expression turned icy, a dangerous smile forming on his lips. "That's correct."
He had made up his mind to infiltrate Konoha and retrieve Kotoe's body, so he could use the Reanimation Jutsu to bring her back to life. Ever since he woke up, he realized this was the only viable method.
During that fateful moment, when his vision blurred, his hearing gone, and he couldn't understand Kotoha's final words, it had become clear to him.
"You've gone mad," Orochimaru said, furrowing his brow.
"I'm not mad, which is why I need to master Sage Mode as quickly as possible," Ye Zi responded earnestly.
"Even if you master Sage Mode, attacking Konoha won't be easy."
"That's why I have you," Ye Zi replied, staring intently at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru fell silent. After a moment, a faint sneer crossed his lips. "Leaving aside whether it's rational to attack Konoha right now, why should I help you with this?"
Ye Zi's expression turned emotionless as he leaned closer to Orochimaru, their faces mere inches apart. For a moment, they stared into each other's eyes—Orochimaru's calm, indifferent gaze meeting the cold, unyielding glint in Ye Zi's.
Ye Zi moved closer, his lips near Orochimaru's ear, and said coldly, "If you help me, I'll help you."
Orochimaru remained unfazed. "Attacking Konoha now is irrational. If you want to throw your life away, I won't stop you, but I won't join you in it."
"I've met Madara Uchiha. The Rinnegan possessed by the leader of Akatsuki is actually Madara's eyes, and the Rinnegan is the final evolution of the Sharingan. But Sharingan alone isn't enough to evolve into the Rinnegan... It requires another factor," Ye Zi said, his voice steady.
"And possessing the Rinnegan allows one to use the Six Paths Techniques. Are you interested in this information?"
After finishing his statement, Ye Zi took a step back and stared calmly at the visibly astonished Orochimaru.
"And don't forget about the Reanimation Jutsu. I've collected the bodies of shadow-level shinobi from various villages, and I've already reanimated them," Ye Zi added.
Orochimaru's astonishment deepened as he stared at Ye Zi, almost as if seeing him for the first time.
Although he had refined the Reanimation Jutsu, Orochimaru's control was limited to only a few reanimated bodies, and even those weren't entirely stable.
"Whether I'll need those or not depends on the power of Sage Mode. Take me to see the White Snake Sage first," Ye Zi said, his tone calm, forming a stark contrast to Orochimaru's shock.
The two stared at each other in silence for a long time.
Orochimaru's astonishment gradually faded. He finally accepted Ye Zi's determination.
After a brief pause, he asked, "Is recovering her body really worth it?"
"It's worth it," Ye Zi replied without hesitation.
Orochimaru was silent again. After a moment, he said, "You've changed."
"Spare me the meaningless words. Take me to the White Snake Sage," Ye Zi repeated firmly.
Orochimaru snorted softly. "The White Snake Sage resides in Ryūchi Cave. Since you've signed a summoning contract with Ryūchi Cave, you can use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to go there directly. Once there, summon Manda, and he'll lead you the rest of the way."
"Is it really that simple?" Ye Zi was momentarily stunned. Orochimaru had only mentioned the White Snake Sage and Sage Mode in passing. Since Jūgo was around and offered a safer alternative, Ye Zi's attention had been more focused on research rather than this method.
What he hadn't expected was that the White Snake Sage would be connected to Ryūchi Cave.
Although he had signed a contract with Manda, Ye Zi had never been to Ryūchi Cave.
"Finding the White Snake Sage is the simple part. The difficult part is mastering Sage Mode in front of him," Orochimaru said nonchalantly.
Ye Zi's expression darkened slightly, but he didn't say anything more. Without hesitation, he activated the Reverse Summoning Jutsu and disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Orochimaru, watching him leave, followed suit and vanished from the room using his own Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
Perhaps because they started from close proximity, the two appeared in the same place after the jutsu.
"So this is Ryūchi Cave," Ye Zi said, glancing around at his surroundings. It was a cave with faintly glowing rock walls, providing just enough light to see. The ground was slightly damp, adding to the mysterious ambiance.
Although Orochimaru had accompanied Ye Zi, he had no intention of seeking the White Snake Sage's help to learn Sage Mode himself. Instead, he immediately summoned Manda to save Ye Zi some chakra.
From within a swirl of white smoke, Manda materialized, his massive form filling the cave. Seeing that he was still within Ryūchi Cave, he didn't appear surprised. Lowering his gaze to Orochimaru and Ye Zi, his eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity.
How could someone survive such injuries? And more importantly, how had they recovered so quickly?
Just as Manda was about to speak, Ye Zi coldly interrupted, "Take us to the White Snake Sage."
"..."
Manda bristled at the tone but swallowed his anger, opting to stay silent.
"Follow me," Manda said, turning his massive body toward the path leading to the White Snake Sage's palace.
Ye Zi, without waiting, used Body Flicker Technique to leap onto Manda's head.
"..."
Manda remained silent, his irritation visible, but he said nothing.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at the sight, slightly surprised. The first time he'd asked Manda for guidance, it hadn't occurred to him to simply jump onto Manda's head. Following Ye Zi's example, he also used the Body Flicker Technique to land on Manda's head.
"Lead the way," Ye Zi said calmly.
Manda glanced up at the glowing ceiling of the cave for a moment, his frustration evident, but he relented and began moving steadily toward the palace.
Meanwhile, back in the base, Nanako entered the infirmary only to find that Ye Zi and Orochimaru were both gone. She froze in shock, quickly realizing that they had left without informing anyone.
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