Although the price was clearly marked, the gift was still undeniably tempting.

Having lived for nearly a thousand years, the White Serpent Sage had seen many people and possessed a fair eye for judging them.

To her, Orochimaru was among the finest of humankind.

His ambitions were vast, and yet he had both the talent to turn them into reality and the terrifying drive to see them through.

Most of all, the White Serpent Sage admired one thing about him: he scrupled at nothing.

Though he was a human, he had none of the hesitations that burdened humans.

Such a person was worth investing in.

In the past, she had been stingy and granted only a single giant serpent, because there had been no need for more.

Now, however, she would need to reconsider.

The White Serpent Sage was not worried that Orochimaru would become difficult to control, because he wanted many things from her, and what she could give him was greater still.

She lifted her pipe and took a long draw, then pondered the arrangements that lay ahead, no longer sparing any thought for the giant serpent.

Whether it succeeded or failed was, by now, of little consequence.

In truth, within the Dragon-Blessed Cavern, neither snakes nor humans cared much about the giant serpent’s success or failure.

The three serpent princesses perhaps cared a little, though what weighed on them more was whether their poor performance earlier would bring down the White Serpent Sage’s punishment.

As for Orochimaru, he was busy recording the data from the observation.

Without natural energy to sustain it, the First Cell’s corrosive power was far weaker than before, and the chakra strength had also reverted from sage chakra to the level Uchiha Shinsuke had faced.

In such a state, the giant serpent’s extraordinary constitution could finally come into play, and the First Cell’s primal instincts were being tamed.

One must understand: this was a perfect fusion at the cellular level. Even if the test subject was not human, but a snake, the experimental data it could provide was still immensely valuable.

"Aaahhh..."

The giant serpent was still screaming, though compared to before, its cries now had some strength to them, as if declaring to onlookers that there were still snakes who cared whether the operation succeeded.

How much time passed like this, no one knew. Then the giant serpent’s originally purple body was suddenly coated with a layer of ashen white. In the next instant, like porcelain, the serpent skin split with fine cracks, and thin threads of violet light bled through them.

The next moment, before Orochimaru’s eyes, the gray-white shell shattered. Reborn from the wreckage, the giant serpent lifted its head and let out a cry of exhilaration.

Orochimaru licked his lips.

The transplant had succeeded.

At the same time, the slender tendrils withdrew from the giant serpent’s body and vanished back into the darkness of the cavern, returning control of the natural energy to it once more.

But this time there would be no rampage, no further descent into violence. Quite the opposite: after stretching its body and becoming reacquainted with itself, the natural energy within now became its aid.

The stones on the ground seemed suddenly alive. One after another, sharp spikes rose from the earth, encircling the serpent’s body like a host of snakes gathering around their king.

Orochimaru raised his brows, recognizing the power the giant serpent was now using.

Sage art.

Surprising? Not particularly.

After all, the giant serpent already possessed a great deal of natural energy, and the First Cell had excellent compatibility with White Serpent sage art. Or perhaps the White Serpent Sage had done something just now...

There were too many reasons why the giant serpent might have mastered sage art. Indeed, if it could not do so by now, it would only seem pathetic.

So Orochimaru merely nodded faintly, then lowered his head and continued整理ing his experimental records, ignoring the ecstatic giant serpent.

A quarter hour later, after he had finished tidying away all the data and equipment and stored the scroll, the waiting serpent princess Tashin spoke with a smile.

"Please come with me. The Sage wishes to see you now."

Orochimaru smiled and nodded, but said, "Wait a moment. I still have a few small matters to take care of."

Since no one had hurried him for so long, the White Serpent Sage presumably would not mind waiting a little longer.

With that thought in mind, under the astonished gazes of the three serpent princesses, Orochimaru stepped before the giant serpent and unsealed another part of the scroll.

A wild boar nearly thirty meters long appeared out of thin air and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

At the sight of it, a flash of greed crossed the giant serpent’s eyes, followed by caution and hesitation.

But Orochimaru only smiled.

"This is a boar king. Don’t worry, nothing has been added to it. It’s your reward."

The giant serpent hesitated for an instant, then lunged forward at once.

The operation had consumed quite a bit of its strength, and by now it was empty-bellied and starving.

After soothing the giant serpent, Orochimaru approached the pythons that had taken part in the battle against the Cloud Village in turn, feeding each one a wild boar somewhat smaller than the first as a reward for merit.

Compared with the giant serpent, the two pythons were far more respectful. They lowered their bodies slightly and did not begin eating until Orochimaru had left.

Once all this was done, Orochimaru followed the three serpent princesses back to the head of the serpent-shaped corridor.

The White Serpent Sage held a pipe between her lips and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

Her eyelids half-lowered, she said, "You helped the giant serpent undergo its transformation. This is your reward."

A stone platform rose before the seat, bearing several paper documents, and glided steadily to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru did not hurry to take up the methods for cultivating sage art. His gaze fell instead upon the platform, which seemed to have grown naturally from the ground, and he could not help but lick his lips.

With his present senses, he could tell just how intensely concentrated the natural energy within that small stone platform was.

This earth-controlling sage art was the same as what the giant serpent had just displayed.

Orochimaru knew this was both a demonstration and a warning.

The ground the White Serpent Sage could command would naturally not be limited to a single small platform. Perhaps the entire Dragon-Blessed Cavern lay under her control.

In other words, from the moment he had entered the Dragon-Blessed Cavern, his life and death had ceased to be his own.

His instincts blared an alarm, yet the corner of Orochimaru’s mouth curved slightly.

He quickly skimmed through the documents, then turned to the White Serpent Sage and said, "Sage, I would like to undergo the sage art trial now."

"Oh? You are ready?" The White Serpent Sage narrowed her eyes. "And now, you are confident you can pass the trial?"

Orochimaru nodded.

"Yes."

The serpent princesses’ waiting manner, and the White Serpent Sage’s easy granting of the sage art method, had confirmed one thing for him: the changes that had occurred in the giant serpent had aroused the White Serpent Sage’s interest, and more than he had imagined.

That gave him confidence.

This so-called sage art trial was, in the end, merely the White Serpent Sage’s own judgment. Unless one’s aptitude was truly abysmal, she absolutely had the power to let a shinobi pass.

After all, the source of White Serpent sage art was none other than the White Serpent Sage herself.

When a trial ceased to be a trial, it became a gift.

The White Serpent Sage opened her half-closed eyes, and a flicker passed through her gaze as she said coolly, "You are very bold."

She could naturally see that Orochimaru was turning the tables on her, and he made no attempt to hide it.

"I have always been bold."

Orochimaru bowed slightly and smiled.

"Still, Sage, do not misunderstand. What I seek is cooperation. Only by mastering sage art will I have the chance to go further. And is that not what you wish to see?"

The White Serpent Sage looked at Orochimaru, half-closing her eyes again, and said slowly, "Leave your mark upon it, and I will agree to this matter."

As her words fell, the scroll held in the beast’s mouth behind her shot forth and landed before Orochimaru.

The scroll slowly unfurled.