Aburame Shiken and Uchiha Kamito returned with the summoning scroll.
They were about to head to Ryūchi Cave, so they had to prepare thoroughly.
Everyone knew that Ryūchi Cave didn't play by any rules.
Aburame Shiken planned to bring insects—how many this time? The same amount he used when fighting the Hidden Stone Village.
One hundred Aburame insect gourds were ready.
Uchiha Kamito prepared his ninja blade.
I'm blind now, completely disadvantaged, so I need to protect myself even more… Explosive Tags and such—let's bring a million for now. Hm… still not safe enough. I should prepare some other things too.
Inuzuka Ryoha brought along the Inuzuka clan's sacred summoning scroll. Rinko still needed to rest, so this time it would depend on him.
Hyūga Hiyasu dragged Namikaze Minato along. If anything went wrong, everyone could escape at any time.
Ryūchi Cave: You'd better be here to beg me for something.
After finishing their preparations, the five gathered together.
"How is it? Ready?"
"Mm."
"Mm."
"Mm."
"Ready."
"Minato, don't talk so much. This mission is extremely dangerous. Keep communication as brief as possible."
"I… understand."
"Alright. Let's go."
Uchiha Kamito activated the Reverse Summoning Technique.
In an instant, the five vanished.
...
Ryūchi Cave—
Dark, damp, and cold.
Hissing sounds echoed endlessly.
Countless small snakes slithered around, as if waiting for something.
The five appeared instantly.
The surrounding snakes seemed to receive some kind of command and rushed forward all at once.
This time, I'm getting a feast.
"Insect Swarm Sea."
Black insects surged out, instantly overwhelming the snake horde.
"Shiken, this is their territory. If we kill them all, we won't be able to explain ourselves."
Uchiha Kamito reminded him.
"I know."
The insects released the liquid hidden in their abdomens.
The snakes began struggling desperately—but it was useless.
Soon, all of them lost the ability to resist and collapsed weakly onto the ground.
Aburame Shiken carefully checked to make sure none of them were just playing dead.
"All done. Let's keep moving."
The five advanced slowly.
Hyūga Hiyasu kept his Byakugan activated at all times, reporting enemy snake positions.
Ryūchi Cave: Are you sure you're here to ask for help?
"Left side—one gray giant snake."
Inuzuka Ryoha rushed over immediately.
"Handled."
"Front right—a giant snake."
"Anesthetic insect swarm."
The giant snake fell. Done.
"Straight ahead—that purple giant snake is Manda."
"I'll handle it."
Uchiha Kamito walked forward calmly.
"Manda, long time no see."
Manda slowly opened his drowsy eyes.
"Kamito… so your teacher finally gave you the scroll. Since you're here, you should know the rules of Ryūchi Cave. You brought a gift, right? Otherwise… you'll be the gift."
Manda opened his massive mouth, preparing to intimidate Kamito.
But Kamito had been waiting for this moment.
"Anesthetic—go."
A large barrel of anesthetic appeared instantly.
Kamito accurately tossed it straight into Manda's mouth.
It was so large that it got stuck in his throat.
Kamito followed up with a precise kunai throw, piercing the barrel.
A flood of anesthetic liquid poured into Manda's throat.
Manda shook his head violently, finally flinging the barrel away.
"You brat… you… you… trying to—"
His vision blurred.
His head spun.
Orochimaru, what kind of student did you raise…
Manda collapsed into deep sleep.
Kamito raised his hand behind him in an "OK" gesture.
The other four gave thumbs up in response—
Whether Kamito could see them or not didn't matter.
"Keep moving."
Aburame Shiken gave the order.
They continued forward.
...
After entering a cave, Hyūga Hiyasu suddenly stopped.
"There's a humanoid woman ahead. Surrounded by food."
"That's Tagorihime, one of the three great snake sages. All that food is fake. Approach first, distract her, then take her down together."
"Understood."
"Understood."
"Understood."
"Understood."
Shiken laid out the plan, and everyone prepared to act.
Tagorihime saw outsiders arrive and smiled strangely.
Maybe I'll get another meal.
"Welcome, welcome, everyone to Ryūchi Cave. You must be exhausted—come, enjoy some food and relieve your fatigue."
She greeted them with a gentle smile.
Aburame Shiken stepped forward.
"Thank you so much."
He casually picked up some food and took a bite.
Seeing this, Tagorihime's smile grew even sweeter.
"Oh, it's nothing—just proper hospi—"
"Barrier Insects: Sealing Barrier."
"Eight Trigrams."
"Fang Passing Fang."
"Ninja Blade."
"Realgar medicinal wine."
"Anesthetic."
"Kunai."
"Shuriken."
"Explosive Tags."
After an utterly unreasonable combo attack with no explanation—
Tagorihime successfully passed out, tightly bound in Wire Strings and covered in sealing formulas.
"Next is Ichikishimahime. She handles games, apparently. But to avoid complications, Minato—you take the barrier insects and trap her directly inside a barrier first."
Minato gripped his Flying Thunder God kunai.
"Understood."
The five—plus one snake—slowly moved forward.
Ichikishimahime suddenly appeared.
"Oh ho ho… I didn't expect you'd actually—Tagorihime?"
She froze briefly upon noticing Tagorihime.
But hesitation leads to defeat.
Minato's kunai had already landed beside her.
"Flying Thunder God."
"Barrier Insects: Sealing Barrier."
After another clean combo—
Ichikishimahime also went down.
"One left—Tagitsuhime. She's combative and skilled in genjutsu. Don't hesitate."
"Understood."
Tagitsuhime appeared.
Tagitsuhime fell.
...
The five, along with the three snakes, arrived at a wide open area.
The White Snake Sage awoke from her slumber.
"Have guests arrived? Since you've passed the trial of the three snake sages, then you only need to—"
A ninja blade.
A kunai.
A palm.
A claw.
And a mass of insects tightly surrounded the White Snake Sage.
She snapped fully awake.
How long have I been asleep? Is Ryūchi Cave about to be wiped out?
Looking at the three bound snake sages below, she immediately became respectful.
"May I ask what business brings you here?"
Aburame Shiken continued releasing insects while politely replying:
"You're too kind, Sage. We've come this time because we have something to ask of you."
The White Snake Sage blinked.
Then glanced at the four murderous shinobi surrounding her—
And finally at Aburame Shiken, who was about to turn her residence into an insect nest.
This… is how you ask for help? No… ask snakes for help?