Chapter 94

【Jiraiya: Hey, Orochimaru!! I remember, you also practiced the senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave back then, didn't you… but after all these years, I've never once seen you use Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu.】

Jiraiya voiced the doubt in his heart,

and this was also one thing that had been nagging him.

Back then, Orochimaru

had been a genius from childhood onward.

He himself had even signed a contract with the toads of Mount Myōboku,

and learned Mount Myōboku's senjutsu.

Then Orochimaru, too, had signed a contract with the summoning beast of Ryūchi Cave,

so naturally he couldn't possibly leave Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu unlearned.

But after all these years,

Jiraiya had never once seen Orochimaru use Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu,

which made Jiraiya extremely curious.

In Jiraiya's memory, Orochimaru was still that companion whose talent far surpassed his own.

So he had never suspected that Orochimaru didn't know Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu—

it was because he had failed to cultivate it successfully!!

【Orochimaru: Jiraiya!! If you don't say anything, no one will take you for a mute.】

If Jiraiya hadn't brought up this matter,

Orochimaru himself wouldn't have thought too much about it.

But once Jiraiya brought it up, Orochimaru's composure began to wobble a little.

Regarding the senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Regions,

he was naturally extremely envious!!

If he could have kept cultivating Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu,

he believed his current strength could have risen several more steps,

and he wouldn't have had to desperately pursue the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

But he had already lost that qualification.

The Ryūchi Cave senjutsu that he himself had failed to cultivate successfully after all these years,

in the hands of Senju Hashirama on the black screen,

had been cultivated to its peak in the span of a single breath.

Is Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu really that simple??!!

For the first time, Orochimaru began to doubt his own reputation as a genius.

Compared with the talent of this First Hokage,

his own talent wasn't even worth garbage.

【Fourth Raikage: I didn't expect even the First Hokage to be this keen on the senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Regions. If I could go cultivate the senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Regions, wouldn't that mean my body could rise another step?】

【Tsunade: Grandpa from the other world… he's probably going to head to Shikkotsu Forest next to learn senjutsu from the Slug Sage. I hope he doesn't end up in conflict with the Slug Sage.】

【Senju Hashirama: Although I don't know what my other self would do, the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest probably hasn't changed, right? I think he wouldn't refuse my other self from cultivating senjutsu… after all, among the sages of the Three Great Sage Regions, his temper is the best.】

……

After a long time, the White Snake Sage finally calmed himself down.

He took a hard drag from the smoke bomb in front of him.

"¨」 …Seeing you, I feel like these past few thousand years of mine have all been lived in a dog's belly…"

"I didn't expect… your talent to be even more terrifying than I imagined."

"No matter what changes the future may bring."

"I hope Ryūchi Cave will forever be your most loyal ally…"

The White Snake Sage could clearly see

what astonishing ambition lay beneath Senju Hashirama's gentle exterior!!

He had a premonition that the future world would surely be in great turmoil,

and anyone who dared to oppose Senju Hashirama, who stood in his way,

would also be crushed by him without the slightest hesitation!!

This incarnation of Asura was completely different from the previous Asuras,

the original Asura, including the later incarnations of Asura,

even when facing enemies,

they were extremely gentle.

They would try as much as possible to resolve things through non-violent means.

But the Senju Hashirama before him—

the White Snake Sage had a deep premonition—

if the other party found something about him to be displeasing,

he would even destroy the other party in a more overbearing way than Indra, without the slightest mercy!!!

The White Snake Sage even felt that his long-dormant heart was beginning to stir with excitement.

In his long life,

his one and only true pursuit was to take his senjutsu one step further.

But after all these years,

He found that he was expending even more effort,

and the progress of his senjutsu cultivation was far too slow.

What remained was endless repetition of the same things, with no change at all.

But Hashirama Senju's appearance made him feel that perhaps this world could be changed in ways he himself could bring about.

67, Slug Sage: How about you become the leader of this Wet Bone Forest?

"I never expected… that one day a human would surpass me in senjutsu cultivation…"

The White Snake Sage stared at Hashirama Senju before him,

utterly baffled.

Nevertheless,

having lived for so many years,

his thoughts were naturally clear-minded,

and he made his own choice,

and thus he had no regrets.

"I have already achieved my purpose this time…"

"I will no longer disturb the White Snake Sage."

"Next… I still need to go to the Wet Bone Forest…"

Watching Hashirama Senju's retreating back,

the White Snake Sage and the Three Divine Maidens remained silent for a long time.

"White Snake Sage, was it necessary to be so courteous to him?"

"Remember, we are not those toads of Myōboku Mountain…"

"Our Dragon's Cave has always upheld the principle of not interfering too much in the human world…"

"This man… just by looking at him, it's clear his path will never be calm…"

Tianxin Divine Maiden said uneasily.

Although humans had come to cultivate senjutsu here before,

they had always drawn a clear boundary between Dragon's Cave and the human world,

never had this happened before.

"Perhaps we could have done so before…"

"But now we can no longer follow Dragon's Cave's old ways…"