Orochimaru prostrated himself before the White Snake Sage, losing his usual arrogance and leaving only submissiveness: "Master, what are my current chances of successfully practicing Senjutsu?"
The White Snake Sage took a puff of smoke and blew it all over Orochimaru.
The secondhand smoke smelled terrible, making Orochimaru feel nauseous, but he endured it.
"You... although you've integrated those White Zetsu cells and your physical fitness is much stronger than before, it's still not enough."
"Orochimaru, your body and soul are already anomalies!"
Orochimaru's pupils constricted; he hadn't expected his greatest secret to be seen through so easily by the White Snake Sage.
Indeed, while Orochimaru's current body was still human in form, its essence had already mutated, becoming a White Scaled Serpent.
Before Ryou's Plunder Rebirth was exposed, Orochimaru had already developed Living Corpse Reincarnation.
This technique was a Forbidden Jutsu Orochimaru developed based on the Cursed Seal; once activated, it allowed him to transfer his soul into a vessel with a Cursed Seal to achieve immortality.
Due to Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru's soul had already mutated into a White Scaled Serpent.
Orochimaru asked again: "Master, since my soul is already close to that of a snake, wouldn't that make it easier to practice the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave?"
The White Snake Sage shook its head: "It's different. You hold an attitude toward your body that it can be discarded at any time. I imagine that the moment you feel natural energy is making you lose control, your soul will flee."
"Practicing Senjutsu requires single-minded willpower; those who are half-hearted will never become a Sage."
Orochimaru's expression turned gloomy. Before the White Snake Sage's thousand years of cultivation, he felt as if he were wearing nothing at all—everything was seen through.
Indeed, Orochimaru had made ample preparations from the start.
He hadn't brought Anko and Yamato here to look after them or to lead them toward becoming Sages together.
Orochimaru had already planted Cursed Seals on Anko and Yamato, treating them as objects he could use for Possession at any time.
If this body were to run wild due to Senjutsu, he would possess the bodies of his two disciples to escape with his life.
He did have feelings for Anko, but his own life was more worth cherishing.
The White Snake Sage advised further: "Orochimaru, the Cursed Seal you improved is a low-tier version of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu. If you continue to refine it, perhaps you'll develop a Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode compatible with humans."
"Just admit it! You aren't someone who likes to take risks."
Orochimaru was still unwilling to give up: "Master, is it possible I will never be able to learn orthodox Senjutsu in this lifetime?"
The White Snake Sage shook its head: "I do not know of the future; you can go ask that toad at Mount Myōboku. What I see is only the present."
Orochimaru's face darkened, a persistent malevolence weighing between his brows.
It seemed he could only study the Cursed Seals.
Learning Senjutsu was only to allow him to use Edo Tensei on more powerful individuals; Orochimaru had many ways to strengthen the First and Second Hokage.
For instance, using White Zetsu clones as sacrifices, or attaching Cursed Seals to the Edo Tensei bodies.
But Orochimaru was still unwilling; how could Cursed Seals compare to orthodox Senjutsu?
Would he never be able to surpass Jiraiya in this lifetime?
The White Snake Sage laughed: "Orochimaru, your obsession is still so heavy. You could completely find someone capable of learning Senjutsu and use your Living Corpse Reincarnation to possess their body."
Orochimaru was stunned, thinking to himself how foolish he had been; he hadn't even reacted to such a simple method for a moment.
However, in the current Shinobi World, those who could learn Senjutsu were Jiraiya and Minato.
Neither of them was a pushover; they were both powerful Shinobi.
The weakness of Living Corpse Reincarnation was that the original soul would not disappear or be devoured after reincarnation; Orochimaru's own soul had to suppress the opponent's.
Therefore, the sacrifice's strength must not be too great; if they were too strong, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to suppress them.
In the original work, Orochimaru's failure to reincarnate into Sasuke was because Sasuke's strength was already very high, and he possessed the Sharingan which specifically counters mental and spiritual attacks.
Jiraiya and Minato were not sacrifices Orochimaru could hope to possess.
Then Orochimaru could only cultivate a prospect capable of practicing Senjutsu himself.
Orochimaru asked the White Snake Sage: "Master, do my two disciples have the talent to practice Senjutsu?"
The White Snake Sage took another puff of smoke, becoming somewhat impatient: "Orochimaru, you are asking too much. I am only telling you this much because your family has been servants of Ryūchi Cave for generations."
Orochimaru stopped asking; the White Snake Sage was already impatient, and if he continued to anger it, it might swallow him in one bite.
Orochimaru thought of Anko and Yamato.
Yamato had been implanted with Hashirama cells, but he hadn't inherited their immense vitality, only the techniques.
His success rate was likely even lower than the current Orochimaru's.
What about Anko?
Anko was implanted with White Zetsu cells and possessed massive chakra and vitality, but Orochimaru wasn't sure how high her compatibility with Senjutsu was.
However, it was already worth the risk.
"White Snake Sage, please teach my disciple how to practice Senjutsu!"
The White Snake Sage nodded: "Very well, but they must first pass the trials of Ryūchi Cave."
Orochimaru was special; he was the current successor of Ryūchi Cave, and his family had worshiped Ryūchi Cave for generations, so the White Snake Sage could let him bypass the trials and learn Senjutsu directly.
But others could not; they had to pass the tests of the Three Great Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave—Tubatsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime.
Only by passing the tests of the Three Great Snake Princesses would one be qualified to meet the White Snake Sage; otherwise, if they failed, they would be eaten by the Three Great Snake Princesses.
Orochimaru nodded, preparing to arrange for Anko to take the trials of Ryūchi Cave.
Suddenly, a small white snake appeared beside Orochimaru; it was Orochimaru's messenger snake.
It spat out a scroll in front of Orochimaru.
Orochimaru thought something had happened with Hiruko in Konoha and quickly opened the scroll, but he hadn't expected it to be intelligence regarding Madara's Rinnegan.
Orochimaru was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected Jiraiya and the others to be quite so useful!
But as Orochimaru read on, it felt as if he hadn't read anything at all; Madara was simply not someone they could contend with.
Orochimaru's face was completely dark. The other abilities were fine and weren't that over-the-top, but Limbo...
Only those who possessed the Rinnegan and the power of the Sage of Six Paths could counter it.
Orochimaru knew of the Rinnegan, but Six Paths Senjutsu?
Orochimaru looked toward the White Snake Sage and pleaded: "Master, what is Six Paths Senjutsu?"
The White Snake Sage flicked its tongue; it had already told Orochimaru a lot today.
But if that troublesome woman were to be resurrected, its own massive chakra would likely become a target for her to devour.
So, it might as well give these little fellows a few hints!
"Six Paths Senjutsu is the technique of the Old Man of the Six Paths, an ultimate power system that transcends ordinary Senjutsu and the Rinnegan!"
"However, it isn't a technique that can be learned; like a Kekkei Genkai or the power of a Jinchuriki, it belongs to a special mode."
"To call it Six Paths Senjutsu, it would be better to call it Six Paths Sage Mode, or Six Paths Mode. Ultimately, it is the power of the Old Man of the Six Paths."