To become the strongest in the ninja world, one must bear the burden of the potential future invasion by the Otsutsuki clan.
Even if Orochimaru were to achieve Six Paths Sage Mode in the future, to contend with an Otsutsuki clan where everyone is a Six Paths user, his methods would inevitably involve Sage Mode derived from natural energy.
As is well known, the Otsutsuki clan does not engage in cultivation; they merely plant divine trees on various planets and consume the chakra fruits that grow on them to enhance their strength.
The formation of chakra fruits primarily relies on absorbing the natural energy of the planet.
To borrow a phrase from Orochimaru's memories, "Only magic can defeat magic."
While Orochimaru possesses some strength in taijutsu, his primary methods are based on chakra power, particularly Yin-Yang Release. Yin-Yang Release can only serve as a foundation for achieving Sage Mode, whereas Sage Mode is the true means to eventually counter the Otsutsuki clan.
This is precisely why Orochimaru went to such lengths to gather power and why securing the Ryuchi Cave at this juncture was so crucial.
The White Snake Sage died in a most ignominious manner. Ordinary ninjas, facing a Sage Mode master who had lived for a thousand years, would likely not even have the qualification to fight.
Even a powerful entity like the Nine-Tails!
Orochimaru’s arrangement for it to intercept the three Snake Princesses was precisely due to this concern.
While preserving the Ryuchi Cave’s legacy, the Nine-Tails could not unleash its full power within the cave. Naturally, the Nine-Tails would likely not be a match for the White Snake Sage, who held the advantage of her domain.
Yet, the White Snake Sage could never have imagined that Orochimaru was a freak who possessed thorough knowledge of most powerful beings in the ninja world.
The White Scale Great Serpent's scales have extreme defensive capabilities?
Orochimaru obtained the Kusanagi swords, which could counter snakes, on his very first visit to the Ryuchi Cave.
The White Snake Sage’s original form was a white snake born within the dragon vein, connected to the power of the Ryuchi Cave?
Orochimaru turned around and went to Lou Lan to obtain the power of the dragon vein.
Inorganic Reincarnation, White Splendor Technique?
To Orochimaru, who had already thoroughly understood the White Snake Sage's strengths and weaknesses, these were merely somewhat unusual techniques.
Coupled with the sealing jutsu of the Uzumaki clan, the White Snake Sage, who was completely at a disadvantage, could not even attempt to escape. She became fish on Orochimaru's chopping board, meeting a fate of being devoured whole.
The scorching lava, spread across the Ryuchi Cave temple, slowly cooled, and the surroundings once again became a deep, dark, and pitch-black abyss. The spot where the great sage's throne once stood had now transformed into obsidian, gleaming with a dark luster.
In the entire dark temple, the only light source in the darkness emanated from the faint white glow of the scales of the colossal White Scale Great Serpent at the center.
As for the White Scale Great Serpent, which was the White Snake Sage’s transformed form...
Looking at Orochimaru's current massive serpentine body, it is not difficult to guess where she ended up.
...
The Nine-Tails strode forward with its head held high onto the solid obsidian ground, followed closely by three charming Snake Princesses.
"Whoa!"
"It's almost as big as my original body!"
"Orochimaru, the speed at which your strength grows truly amazes me!"
The three Snake Princesses gazed at the colossal serpent that occupied nearly half the temple space, their eyes flashing with a multitude of complex emotions: shock, panic, fear, relief, and more.
The great sage who had ruled the Ryuchi Cave for a thousand years had truly been overthrown!
And Orochimaru...
Orochimaru's internal power fusion was at a critical juncture, and he remained oblivious to the arrival of others.
The nature of power in the ninja world differs from the power described in the fantasy worlds Orochimaru recalled.
While chakra is something that ordinary ninjas can only strengthen step by step through accumulated training and refinement, there are always individuals in the ninja world with innate talent who, with just one opportunity, can achieve leaps and bounds in their strength.
For example, a Jinchuriki suddenly achieving spiritual connection with the tailed beast within; for example, the Ashura descendant's Sage Body suddenly advancing; or for example, the Indra descendant's Sage Eye suddenly awakening into the Rinnegan...
Although Orochimaru was also just an ordinary human, his current body, influenced by the dragon vein and Sage Mode power, was steadily on the path to becoming a dragon.
This time, the increase in internal power was unrelated to Yin-Yang Release; it was merely the evolution of his body and the qualitative transformation of Sage Mode power within Orochimaru.
The fusion of powers from the same source was effortless for Orochimaru, who had complete control over his body.
What was truly rare was the powerful spirit honed by the White Snake Sage over a thousand years, and the profound legacy accumulated by the Ryuchi Cave over millennia.
The Secret Technique of Corporeal Vitalization was fully activated, breaking down and digesting the White Snake Sage's flesh, bones, and blood, all brimming with natural energy; under the guidance of spiritual power nourished by Yin Release, Orochimaru's internal Sage Mode chakra, as his body strengthened, gradually consumed the White Snake Sage's spiritual power and memories.
The Ryuchi Cave, devoid of light and day or night, made it impossible to tell how long the Nine-Tails had waited. When the body of the White Scale Great Serpent had expanded to the point where the temple could barely contain it, Orochimaru finally made his next move.
The mountain-like serpent head slowly lifted from its coiled body, and it slowly opened its mouth towards the cave ceiling.
"This guy, I thought you were going to sleep like that forever!"
The Nine-Tails, which had retreated outside the entrance, felt a wave of relief upon seeing Orochimaru's action and quipped jokingly.
The White Scale Great Serpent's millstone-sized eyes conveyed a reassuring gaze to the Nine-Tails, and then it focused on mobilizing the immense power within its body.
"Aooorrr!"
A high-pitched dragon's roar, absolutely not a sound a snake could make, erupted from the great serpent's throat. The entire body of the White Scale Great Serpent trembled, and the area from its neck to its lower abdomen began to swell.
The degree of swelling gradually increased with time and slowly moved towards the great serpent's throat.
"Aooorrr!"
Another dragon's roar, and the great serpent's massive mouth opened to its extreme. It spat out a perfectly round pearl, similar to the dragon pearl summoned by the White Splendor Technique.
Initially, the dragon pearl was as large as a winnowing basket, emitting a chaotic blue light all over, without any discernible pattern.
The great serpent's throat churned for a moment, and then a torrent of pure Sage Mode energy was sprayed from its mouth. Under the impact of the Sage Mode energy, the dragon pearl began to spin.
As it spun, the dragon pearl absorbed the Sage Mode energy continuously being sprayed from the great serpent's mouth. With the increasing absorption of Sage Mode energy, the dragon pearl's size gradually shrunk inwards, and the blue light on its surface became more refined.
The Sage Mode chakra within the great serpent poured out like a flood through an opened dam, and its massive body also began to shrink proportionally with the dragon pearl.
When the dragon pearl was compressed into a fist-sized, radiant sphere, the great serpent's body had also shrunk back to the size it was before it devoured the White Snake Sage.
Once both their sizes stopped changing, the dragon pearl suddenly trembled, and streaks of blue light radiating pure Sage Mode power erupted, falling upon the White Scale Great Serpent's body like a misty rain. Witnessing this phenomenon, the White Scale Great Serpent underwent a shocking transformation.
Its evenly developed body slowly floated in the blue light. The flesh on its chest and lower abdomen writhed, and four dragon claws with five digits each slowly grew out.
Concurrently, the scales in the center of the White Scale Great Serpent's forehead wriggled, and two small, short horns pierced through the hardened scales, appearing slowly but resolutely before everyone's eyes.
The moment the dragon claws and short horns emerged, the natural energy pervading the Ryuchi Cave was instantly attracted and converged upon the White Scale Great Serpent, surrounding its body like clouds of mist.
"Aooorrr!"
The great serpent, now transformed into a dragon, let out a dragon's roar. Wrapped in the mist formed entirely from natural energy, its form gradually shifted into Orochimaru's appearance, and it descended lightly from the air.
"Kurama, you've worked hard!"
His casual words were filled with immense authority. Orochimaru's demeanor and bearing stunned even the experienced Kurama.
"You three..."
The three Snake Princesses standing behind Kurama were immediately hit by an oppressive pressure. It felt as though the Orochimaru before them was a deity looking down upon all beings, capable of deciding their life and death with a mere thought.
Before Orochimaru could utter another word, the three exchanged a glance, their minds illuminated by an unspoken understanding. Their legs suddenly went weak, and they collapsed with a thud.
"Ryuchi Cave Snake Princesses, Tashinatsuhime, Ichikishima, and Tagitsuhime, pay respects to the Great Sage!"
"Congratulations to the Great Sage on successfully transforming into a dragon!"