Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 143
🕑 Added 2025-01-17 16:01:53 +0000 UTCIt had to be said that ever since Masashi got used to creating "mechas" with his Ice Release, his interactions with the giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave had significantly decreased.
Once he unlocked Susanoo, he barely needed them anymore.
To him, summoning the giant snakes had become somewhat redundant in most situations.
Training Anko to succeed him as their summoner was part of his strategy. After all, having such a large group of snakes not frequently serving Konoha would be a waste.
What was the point of the contract otherwise?
After confirming her eligibility for the second stage of the exams, Masashi resumed her training.
Two months seemed like ample time.
On this particular day, as usual, he teleported her using Flying Thunder God to the outskirts of Suna and began training.
The desert climate was harsh, especially for a girl trying to maintain her skin, but chakra was an unreasonable cheat, sparing them the need to worry much about such concerns.
Under Masashi's strict instructions, most of Anko's training focused on physical techniques.
Anko tirelessly launched one attack after another at Masashi, holding nothing back.
"If you don't go all out, how am I supposed to guide you?" he would say. "How can I help you rebound if you don't hit rock bottom for real?"
Though blunt, his words were honest.
"Your speed is good, but your movements are riddled with unnecessary actions," Masashi repeatedly corrected her form.
Her basics were solid, but she severely lacked experience.
"Unnecessary movements waste your chakra," he explained as he refined her techniques and taught her how to better control her chakra. "Don't mold too much chakra at once. Your reserve isn't remarkable."
"Yes, Teacher," Anko replied earnestly, absorbing every bit of instruction and daring not to slack off.
Masashi didn't mind her calling him "Teacher."
Her character was reliable enough for him to be willing to teach her.
After a round of sparring, he barely broke a sweat, while Anko was left panting heavily.
"Take a break," he said, handing her a water flask. "Your stamina has improved a lot compared to a month ago. Good progress."
This was no empty praise. She indeed had a knack for taijutsu.
After all, Orochimaru wouldn't take an untalented apprentice.
"Teacher, can I learn your techniques?" Anko asked with hopeful eyes.
"It's not that you can't," Masashi mused, "but your chakra reserves are still too low."
His techniques consumed a lot of chakra. While there were countless jutsu in the shinobi world, only a minority used them as their primary combat method, and most of those were jonin.
The reason was simple: they consumed too much chakra.
Many ninjas would run out of energy after just a few uses.
This was also why the Uchiha clan made a fortune selling explosive tags back in the day. For at least 90% of ninjas, they were far more economical and efficient than ninjutsu.
"Oh..." Anko's disappointment was evident, knowing her current limitations in this regard.
"However," Masashi added, "given your potential, you can dabble in genjutsu."
For someone with the potential to master senjutsu, their "precision" stat would naturally be high.
"At the genin level, physical stamina is often still weak. I'll teach you two genjutsu—one to drain the opponent's stamina and another to mentally attack them," he explained.
He then demonstrated them.
Both were low-level genjutsu, one ranked D and the other C. Given that Anko had already mastered summoning and the Striking Shadow Snakes, learning these should be well within her capabilities.
After all, as a summoner of snakes, it only made sense to focus on fear and intimidation.
Despite her exhaustion, Anko concentrated intently on his explanations.
Her dedication earned Masashi's approval.
In this regard, Anko resembled Sai a bit—always ready to seize any learning opportunity.
"Just focus on understanding them for now," Masashi said. "Later, I'll give you scrolls with detailed instructions."
"But right now, our priority remains your stamina training. A strong body is the foundation for larger chakra reserves, which is essential if you're to become the rightful heir of Ryūchi Cave."
"Yes, Teacher!"
"Before your training ends, I'll take you to Ryūchi Cave. If you don't want the true masters there to look down on you, you'd better train hard."
"Really!?" Anko's excitement was palpable. "Teacher, you're willing to take me?"
"Hmm." Masashi nodded.
Summoning jutsu was one of the most remarkable branches of space-time ninjutsu. It ignored distance entirely.
At least in the known world, there were no spatial limits to its use.
Thus, as a rightful heir to Ryūchi Cave, he could freely enter and exit it at will.
The problem was the snakes themselves.
The unruly inhabitants of Ryūchi Cave had an unsettling habit of expressing hospitality by devouring people. Contract or no contract, anyone who didn't meet their standards was treated as food.
First impressions mattered greatly.
With Masashi's assurance, Anko seemed to channel an inner superpower, training harder than ever and making rapid progress.
By the time the final month began, she was almost unrecognizable from the novice who had first entered his training.
Although she might not have noticed it herself, Masashi could see that, at her current pace, she would likely reach the basic competency required to visit Ryūchi Cave within a year. At that point, she would qualify to visit under his supervision.
Meeting the White Snake Sage, however, was out of the question.
Ryūchi Cave had its own rules: when humans met the White Snake Sage for the first time, it was either to get eaten in a show of "hospitality" or to offer themselves for a "bite."
That said, Masashi himself did need to meet the White Snake Sage again.
The Three Great Sacred Lands were familiar with one another, and he wondered if he could leverage his relationship with the White Snake Sage to gain access to Mount Myōboku.
Ever since learning from Black Zetsu, the idea of mastering all three types of senjutsu had reignited within him.
The mechanisms behind the tailed beasts' resurrection were deeply tied to natural energy. The Ten-Tails, in particular, had the ability to manipulate natural energy flowing through this world.
This suggested that natural energy was an indispensable piece of the puzzle to reaching a higher level of power.
If the Ten-Tails could manipulate natural energy from the land, air, and water, so could he—eventually.
Mount Myōboku's relationship with Konoha was quite amicable these days, and he was determined to learn its senjutsu.
Time flew, and the final month of training passed.
It was finally time for Anko to step back into the exam arena.
---
With the second round of the Joint Chunin Exams beginning, for the first time in the history of Suna's hosting the exams, the village finally recorded a net positive cash flow.
This was no small feat, and for the first time in ages, Rasa smiled.
As a critical element of the Joint Chunin Exams, the "joint" aspect demanded that prominent figures from allied villages attend as collaborators.
Expecting Ōnoki to come to Suna? Absolutely not.
Even if he dared, Suna wouldn't be thrilled about it.
As for Minato, he wouldn't show up either. With Masashi currently absent, Minato had to remain in Konoha, keeping a watchful eye on Kumo's movements.
Thus, the one who arrived was Masashi's "old" friend—Yagura.
Truth be told, when word reached Kiri that Sasori had appeared in Suna and nearly abducted Kimimaro, Yagura was thoroughly alarmed.
So he seized this opportunity to come in person—not so much to observe the exams, but to ensure that no more incidents occurred. After all, Kimimaro was one of the rare talents he had painstakingly cultivated.
His arrival created quite a stir in Suna.
Since the First Great Ninja War, no Mizukage had set foot on the mainland, enhancing their mystique.
Thus, when Yagura appeared at the gates of Suna, he instantly stole the spotlight from Rasa.
After all, this was a living Mizukage, something unseen on the mainland for decades.
Moreover, Suna had been eager to forge stronger ties with Kiri. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sacrificed Pakura to Kiri as a political gesture.
Without a stable rear, Suna couldn't focus entirely on combating Iwa.
Suna viewed Iwa the same way Konoha viewed Kumo—as their primary adversary.
In Masashi's eyes, though, it was all just business.
"Long time no see," Yagura greeted warmly, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Masashi.
This incident had earned Kiri a substantial favor from Masashi.
Of course, Yagura wasn't aware that this favor was originally intended to be even greater. However, Masashi felt it unnecessary to overdo it, so he scaled things down.
After all, he had checked—the captured ninjas Sasori took weren't from Konoha. He decided it was best to let it slide.
"Long time no see, Mizukage-sama," Masashi replied politely. Since Kiri and Konoha were in a honeymoon phase, any disrespect could lead to Fugaku nagging him later.
Fugaku, having savored victory once, had become increasingly full of himself.
Masashi figured it was time to showcase his skills once more when he returned.
Rumor had it that Fugaku's calligraphy had become a hot commodity on the black market again.
Masashi didn't quite understand this obsession, but markets often defied logic.
"Let's continue our conversation inside," Rasa interjected, clearly irked by the apparent camaraderie between Masashi and Yagura.
The relationship between Suna and Konoha was delicate at best, but he was genuinely intent on cultivating stronger ties with Kiri.
Revitalizing Suna had become his personal mission.
Masashi, understanding the situation, graciously stepped aside, yielding the spotlight to Rasa as the host. After all, Suna had fully financed this event. It wouldn't do to appear ungrateful—no one likes stingy people.
As the two leaders engaged in amiable conversation, Yagura tactfully played along, making Rasa feel at ease.
With this harmonious atmosphere, the second round of the Joint Chunin Exams commenced as scheduled.
This time, Masashi chose not to attend.
With Yagura present, along with Pakura and Kakashi, there was no risk of Konoha's teams facing undue interference.
Early in the morning, after seeing off Konoha's representatives, Masashi returned to his quarters and used the Reverse Summoning.
Space shifted, stars swirled, and he found himself in a cavern.
The first sound that greeted him was the gentle splash of water.
The small snakes of Ryūchi Cave, noticing the presence of an intruder, instinctively slithered forward to confront him.
However, they quickly sensed the power of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu emanating from him. To these low-level, semi-intelligent snakes, this power acted like an overriding command. Without hesitation, they performed an abrupt about-face and disappeared in the opposite direction.
The snakes of Ryūchi Cave certainly lived up to the "earthy" reputation implied by the name—they were as practical as they were instinctive.
Surveying the cavern's height, he confidently summoned Kuro.
To his surprise, he was greeted by the sight of two massive serpents entwined together.
Masashi found it rather awkward.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked dryly.
"Masashi?" Kuro immediately disentangled herself from Manda, visibly pleased. "Do you need to meet the Sage?"
"Yes," Masashi replied, glancing at Manda, who looked dazed after being shoved off. "Are you alright?"
Being abruptly interrupted during such a moment could be frustrating—he understood.
Manda shuddered, shook his head, and glared at Masashi with annoyance.
Still, there was nothing he could do—Masashi had grown significantly stronger since their last encounter, to the point where he could easily defeat him.
"N-No problem…" Manda grumbled reluctantly.
"Good to hear," Masashi replied, stepping back slightly to avoid any unpleasant contact. "Don't look so glum. I promise I'll return your partner in one piece."
Manda couldn't shake the feeling that something about Masashi's tone was off, but he chose not to dwell on it.
After all, Orochimaru had always been focused on research rather than frivolities. This had left Manda, despite his many bad habits and penchant for flattery, remarkably naive in certain respects.
As Masashi hopped onto Kuro's head and directed her toward the White Snake Sage's domain, Manda decided to let it go and began training to regain his energy.
Masashi, watching Manda from a distance, couldn't help but shake his head. Manda was clearly too idle—a sign that Orochimaru hadn't been engaged in any serious battles lately.
Things had to be going well on his end. He wondered if Orochimaru had established contact with the daimyō of the Land of Sound.
Kuro moved swiftly through the familiar terrain, and soon, recognizable landmarks began to emerge.
Finally, Masashi found himself once again at the expansive plaza where the White Snake Sage resided.
From afar, he caught sight of the Sage's imposing form.
"Kuro, you can go now," Masashi said as he leapt down. "I'll handle the conversation myself."
"Understood," Kuro replied, her tone surprisingly emotional as she quickly departed.
