With the request for medicine settled, Kabuto's journey to seek Sagehood continued.
Sasuke and Itachi sat back down. The White Snake Sage, atop her crystal orb, called up a live view of the trial Kabuto now faced.
Kabuto was staring down a cobra taller than a mountain.
Sasuke recognized it instantly. The Cobra King. The Third Generation Serpent King of Ryūchi Cave. The father of Manda, and the undisputed leader of his generation. A monster who had lived for centuries, stronger than both the Golden Ring and Silver Ring Kings.
Sasuke's breath hitched. Did Kabuto face this in his last life? Impossible.
Correct. In his past life, Kabuto had only faced Hakurin, one of the Fourth Generation Kings. A tough fight, but he'd passed.
This time? The White Snake Sage had divined visitors coming to "request medicine." All the great serpents cultivating within the Ten Thousand Nests had mobilized.
The Cobra King guarded the left fork, a trial for the Sage-seeker. The other Kings were dispatched as trials for the medicine-seekers.
Being left behind alone? It pissed off the proud Cobra King. And he vented all that rage on Kabuto.
"Leaving me to deal with a four-eyed brat like you!?"
BOOM!
A tail whip. A boulder the size of a small house tore free and smashed toward Kabuto's position.
Shunshin! Kabuto blurred, using his small frame to dart nimbly along the cliff face.
The Cobra King's vertical pupils locked on. His maw opened. A torrent of white, howling wind blasted out, shaking the cliff to its foundations.
Wood erupted from Kabuto's arm, spearing into the rock to anchor him against the gale.
"GAHAHA! Wood Release, eh?" The Cobra King lunged, a mountain of scales descending.
Wood Release: Exploding Spear Trees!
CRASH! CRASH!
Gun-like trees sprouted from the cliff to meet the charge.
"Puny sticks like these aren't even enough for an appetizer!"
CRUNCH—!!!
His sheer bulk crushed the spears flat. His cavernous maw opened, ready to swallow Kabuto whole.
No room to dodge. Kabuto's palm slapped the cliff face.
Glug. Glug. Glug….
Explosive tags, hidden beneath a layer of camouflage, flowed into view across the stone.
"Hm?"
In that split-second of the Cobra King's hesitation, Kabuto severed the anchoring wood from his arm and leaped.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The world shook. Stone screamed. Kabuto landed hard, his left arm bleeding from debris torn up by the blast.
The Cobra King stood amidst the smoke, unharmed. Not a scratch.
Kabuto breathed out. "I still remember the awe I felt when Lord Orochimaru first summoned Manda. Manda was famed for his tough hide and monstrous strength… but compared to this creature? Manda isn't even a worthy son."
The Cobra King's slitted eyes narrowed. "Brat. Miscalculate that by a hair, and you'd have been paste."
Kabuto pushed his glasses up, the lenses glinting. "A simple choice. Being torn apart by explosions is preferable to becoming your dinner. Though, if you hadn't hesitated just now? I'd be dead. No question."
A psychological jab. Highlighting the enemy's moment of doubt to shake their confidence.
"HAHAHAHA! Clever! Sadly… you're just too weak! Don't worry! This time, I'll make sure you die without a trace!"
Zzzzt—!!
Light ignited in the Cobra King's eyes.
Whoosh… whoosh….
The shattered rocks littering the ground trembled. Lifted. Hung suspended in the air.
Sage Art: Stone-Dominating Glare!
Kabuto's eyes widened. "He can control stone!? A unique technique!"
SwishswishswishSWISH—!!!
A storm of rubble shot forward.
Gritting his teeth, Kabuto formed seals.
Wood Release: Wooden Dome Wall!
Clang! Clang! CLANG!
Wooden planks erupted around him, interlocking into a dome. The barrage hammered it, splintering the defense.
The Cobra King lunged again—his fangs chomped down, shattering the dome to splinters.
BOOM!
Kabuto, having escaped underground with Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole, watched from a distance. The Cobra King's tail was coiling, ready to strike from behind…
But the serpent sensed the natural energy disturbance. Its tail… writhed. A second head formed where the tail should be.
Kabuto's mind raced. "It can switch its head and tail!?"
"Little rat! What other tricks do you have!?"
The dual-headed monstrosity descended.
"DIE!!!"
"A direct fight is suicide…" Wood coiled up Kabuto's right arm with a creak. In that critical moment, his mind burned white-hot.
My Wood Release is limited. I'll never wield it like Sasuke, with overwhelming force. But… I am a master medical ninja. Precision chakra control is my specialty. If I apply that micro-control to Wood Release… That will be my own unique style!
Gambling with cold precision, Kabuto charged toward the gaping maw.
Wood Release: Miniature Wood Dragon!
CRACK! A slender, serpentine dragon of wood shot from his arm. It didn't attack. It snaked around, looping between the Cobra King's upper and lower jaws—and tightened.
CRUNCH!
The massive jaws snapped shut… prematurely. A hair's breadth from Kabuto.
"You wretched—!! Playing cheap games!"
Enraged, the Cobra King's eyes bulged. His cheeks puffed, straining. Creek! Creek! The miniature dragon began to splinter.
Kabuto knew it couldn't hold. His hand seals shifted.
Wood Release: Twin-Life Blossom!
Pop. Pop.
Two flowers bloomed from the wooden dragon's back. They shot forward, spearing directly into the Cobra King's flaring nostrils. A cloud of potent, paralytic pollen erupted inside.
"You… you…!" The Cobra King's vision swam. Poison took hold. His strength to break the wood faded. His mouth was clamped shut. His nostrils were plugged.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting pure white. "You all call me a 'rat.' But you forget… a rat, with the right strategy, can bring down an elephant."
The pollen kept flowing. The Cobra King's eyes rolled back. The colossal body went limp. It crashed to the earth with a final, ground-shaking THUD.
Kabuto stepped over the fallen king. Toward the temple now revealed in the dissipating mist. He walked on, without looking back.
On the crystal orb, the scene settled.
The boulder in Sasuke's chest finally loosened. You did it, Kabuto… Even thinking I knew you well, I still underestimated your potential. Orochimaru… you really had an eye for talent.
Itachi felt a surge of pride. Kabuto. Your resolve to metamorphose, for the sake of those precious to you… It will propel your strength and spirit to heights your past self never glimpsed.
The White Snake Sage exhaled a long stream of smoke, her sigh heavy with ancient weariness. "One after another… not a single one of them is easy to deal with."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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