After Seiryu saw through the illusion, Tagorihime stopped bothering to maintain it and led him deeper into the cave.
Soon, two more young women in similar attire joined them.
The youngest, Ichikishimahime, looked at Seiryu with some dissatisfaction and muttered, "Finally a challenger, and it turns out like this. How boring."
Seiryu didn't mind, continuing to follow the three of them.
As they neared the White Snake Sage's lair, petrified human limbs began to appear on either side of the cave.
Yet Seiryu's expression didn't change.
"Aren't you curious what these are?" Ichikishimahime asked.
"Just the remains of those who failed the Sage trial before me," Seiryu replied with a smile. "If you seek power, you must be ready to fail."
"Mr. Seiryu is quite clear-headed," the last of the trio, Tagitsuhime, commented. "I hope you pass the final trial, or we'll have to taste you ourselves."
Soon, they arrived at the deepest part of Ryuchi Cave. Under dim lights, a huge white snake lay coiled on a throne, golden rings inscribed with symbols around its body, and two dragon-like horns sprouting from its head.
The three women bowed.
"All right, you three may leave. Let me talk to Uchiha Seiryu alone," the white snake said, shifting its massive body as scales rustled.
"Yes." The three left.
After a moment, the White Snake Sage finally spoke: "All these years, you're the first descendant of Indra to make it here."
"Indra?" Seiryu asked knowingly. "An Uchiha ancestor?"
"That's right, the very origin of your clan's bloodline," the Sage said.
"Our first ancestor, huh?" Seiryu nodded. "So the White Snake Sage has met him. No wonder it's rumored that the three great Sages have lived for ages."
"No, I didn't interact much with Indra, just know his story. He founded Ninshu, and was one of the Sage of Six Paths' sons," the White Snake Sage explained.
"So, we Uchiha are descendants of the legendary Sage of Six Paths?" Seiryu asked.
"That's right." The Sage nodded.
"Didn't expect to be the descendant of a Sage," Seiryu smirked. "Why tell me these secrets? Is Ryuchi Cave, like Mount Myoboku, trying to influence the human world? I'm not like Jiraiya, the first ninja to be controlled by a summoning beast—I won't spend my life chasing after some prophecy."
"No, Ryuchi Cave doesn't care about the human world. I'm just an old lady reminiscing. Aren't you curious about your ancestor?"
"What's there to be curious about? Human history is always the same. Are people now any different from those millennia ago?" Seiryu replied.
"Hahaha," the White Snake Sage laughed. "Over the years, I've witnessed many descendants of Ashura and Indra battle, many brilliant individuals among them, but you are the most unique."
"Ashura? Ancestor of the Senju?" Seiryu raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, and the Uzumaki clan too," the Sage added.
"Looks like our two clans have been at each other's throats since the very beginning," Seiryu laughed.
"In all these years, I've seen many come seeking sage power, but you're the only one I genuinely hope will succeed. I'm curious to see how you will change the ninja world," the Sage said. "Hold out your hand."
Seiryu obeyed, removing his wristguard and extending his left hand.
The White Snake Sage lowered her head and bit his wrist.
Wild natural energy surged from her fangs into Seiryu's body.
He grunted, and soon snake scales appeared on his skin, his body began transforming, and his feet started to petrify.
The Sage watched in silence. Unlike Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave didn't care about the morals or will of those seeking Sage Mode, nor did they offer protection. Everyone had only one chance, even Seiryu, whom the Sage admired.
Just as she thought Seiryu would become another skeleton, his eyes suddenly snapped open, his left eye's lightning tomoe spinning rapidly, blood tears streaming.
In an instant, the wild senjutsu chakra calmed, mixing perfectly with his physical and spiritual energy. The petrified legs swiftly recovered, the scales faded, and the facial snake traits disappeared. Only the Mangekyo Sharingan's three lightning tomoe now surrounded a vertical pupil, with purple eye shadow appearing around his eyes.
Seiryu wiped away the blood, feeling the power of sage chakra and the natural energy nourishing his eye, and couldn't help but laugh to the sky.