Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 180
🕑 Added 2025-02-05 16:44:16 +0000 UTCThe giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave had become increasingly familiar with Masashi.
After all, the first time Masashi arrived, he fought with the giant snakes, and then he signed a contract with them in front of the White Snake Sage, making quite the spectacle.
They were snakes, not fish—their memories lasted more than a few seconds.
From that moment, the giant snakes remembered this human.
However, apart from Kuro, Masashi had never summoned any other giant snakes, which left the others quite dissatisfied.
Did he look down on their abilities?
The giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave always loved a good spectacle. Unlike the toads of Mount Myōboku, who might be a bit proud when summoned for battle—since they were obsessed with ceremony and the idea of a "Child of Destiny"—the snakes found such notions ridiculous.
"What's with all this divine nonsense? A fight is a fight—why make it so complicated?"
The giant snakes insisted they were not troublesome at all. They loved to fight, and if there was food involved, they'd be even happier.
Saying that Ryūchi Cave was dangerous and that the snakes were difficult to deal with? Nonsense—probably rumors spread by Mount Myōboku.
Sure, they ate people and cursed at them, and sometimes even berated their own contractors. But deep down, they were good snakes.
Take Orochimaru, for example—wasn't he just asking for it? Every time he summoned them, it was just to use them as meat shields!
On this day, the giant snakes saw Kuro suddenly disappear, then reappear in a flash, speeding through the cave with an aggressive "Get out of my way!" energy.
That could only mean one thing: That biased human male was back again.
The giant snakes figured that maybe, in their past interactions, they hadn't been enthusiastic enough, leading Masashi to believe that only Kuro was willing to let him ride.
They decided to correct this mistaken impression and show this biased human that the culture of Ryūchi Cave was one of warmth and hospitality.
After all, even Orochimaru had barely summoned them lately—they were getting bored out of their minds.
As Kuro rushed forward, more and more giant snakes followed, weaving in and out of the shadows, their massive bodies slithering in formation.
This terrified Sasuke.
His usual pride as Indra's reincarnation vanished instantly. He dropped down, gripping the snake's head like a four-legged animal, butt up in the air. Sure, it looked undignified, but oddly enough, it made him feel safer.
Anko, having once been Orochimaru's favored student, had seen plenty of snakes. Though she could only summon small ones herself, she still admired the majesty and power of the giant snakes.
She wasn't scared at all. In fact, she found the scene so cool that she was practically drooling with excitement.
As for Haku, he wasn't thinking too much. He just noticed that none of the other snakes were as big as the one he was currently lying on.
Plus, with his teacher nearby, he had nothing to fear.
Masashi, however, was puzzled.
These giant snakes used to act like they couldn't care less about him. What changed today?
Were they in heat?
Did they all suddenly want to get with Kuro?
The giant snakes had no idea what was going through Masashi's head. They were too busy flexing their massive bodies in front of him, making sure he saw how strong and majestic they were.
But this only confirmed his suspicions.
Yep, today must be the Snake Valentine's Day.
Terrible timing for him to show up!
Oh well. Even if the giant snakes were celebrating, the White Snake Sage surely wasn't.
He had come to see the sage.
With a mighty surge, the snake horde slithered toward the White Snake Sage's lair, making such a ruckus that it woke up the sleeping sage.
The sage blinked, adjusting to wakefulness, and immediately thought—
Are you little brats trying to shed your skin early?
Who the hell dared to disturb my sleep?!
Then, the sage spotted Kuro leading the charge.
Understanding dawned.
Taking a puff from its pipe, the White Snake Sage exhaled a gust of smoke so strong it cut through the air like a Wind Release jutsu.
The nicotine-scented "fragrance" instantly sobered up the overexcited giant snakes.
The ones at the front tried to turn around faster than they had arrived, but they were immediately crushed forward by the dumb ones behind them—rolling forward in an unstoppable wave.
Under the sage's exasperated gaze, a giant mass of snakes tumbled straight into the plaza.
"Quiet down."
The sage's voice boomed like thunder.
Every snake immediately lowered its head, not daring to look up.
Crap. We got too excited.
We're so dead.
"What brings you here?" The White Snake Sage turned to Masashi.
It also noticed the three young ones but didn't ask about them.
It knew Masashi would explain.
"Great Sage, you told me to return in a year. I happen to be free now, so I thought I'd drop by and see you." Masashi grinned, first marking the three youngsters with the Flying Thunder God to keep them in place before leaping down.
"Oh, and I brought you a gift."
He took out a final sealing scroll and unsealed it.
Two large jars appeared on the ground.
Even from a distance, the White Snake Sage could smell the enticing aroma.
Tobacco and spices.
High-quality ones.
"You are quite thoughtful." The sage was pleased. It knew Masashi wasn't the type to be rude on purpose.
Surely, he hadn't come here just to wake it up.
Clearly, it was those reckless little brats messing around.
They would all get a beating later.
By now, Masashi had lifted the two jars and placed them on a special platform beside the sage's massive throne.
He remembered that every time the White Snake Sage refilled its pipe, it did so here, with a group of slightly smaller snakes attending to the task.
"Is this a good spot?"
"Yes, that will do. I'll have the children take care of it." The White Snake Sage exhaled another, gentler cloud of smoke.
"By the way, Great Sage, I brought three children with me today. I'd like them to see Ryūchi Cave for themselves. When the time comes, I hope you'll grant them the opportunity to learn the Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode."
"Oh?" The sage took another look at the three. "You think highly of them?"
"They're all excellent candidates." Masashi nodded. "It's unreasonable that so few people in the world know about Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode."
"No matter. Ryūchi Cave only accepts those who are fated to be here," the sage replied. "But since you vouch for them, let them sign the contract today. That one there, the bigger one—you mentioned him before, right? He already signed?"
"Yes. But they're still young. They need to train and grow stronger."
"They do. They're too weak right now." The sage chuckled. "But I'm not unreasonable. Bring them back when you think they're ready. The rules won't change."
"You have my word." Masashi patted his chest confidently. "I'm part of Ryūchi Cave too. I won't mess around."
"I trust your word," the sage nodded in satisfaction. "As for Mount Myōboku, I've spoken to them. But you'll have to find your own way there. Take this token with you when you leave."
A dragon-shaped ornament on the throne moved, dropping a contract scroll. Masashi quickly leapt up and caught it.
Then, the dragon's mouth released another object—a small stone bead.
"Take this. If you find the entrance, Mount Myōboku will let you in."
"Thank you, Great Sage!"
Masashi was delighted. He teleported the three youngsters beside him and unfurled the contract scroll for Haku and Uchiha Sasuke to sign.
Another great day for Ryūchi Cave—two new recruits added to the family.
---
Surrounded by giant serpents, a scroll larger than a person lay open in front of him.
This was the scene before Sasuke.
However, when he saw Masashi looking at him with an encouraging gaze, Sasuke no longer felt nervous.
After all, he was super strong!
Sasuke decisively bit his finger and started writing his name on the list.
Before him, Haku had already written his name.
But what the young Indra reincarnation didn't know was that the moment he began writing, the eyes of the White Snake Sage lit up.
"This handwriting…" It stared at the characters on the scroll, growing more and more familiar with them. "Masashi, is this child the offspring of the person I mentioned to you before?"
Before Masashi could reply, the sage continued in a satisfied tone, "Not bad, not bad. You've thought this through well. That one is quite old in human years, not very moldable anymore. Children, however, have much more potential."
Masashi's face darkened.
Sasuke's handwriting was exactly the same as Fugaku's...
What a disaster!
This was a mess—Sasuke had instantly given the White Snake Sage high expectations.
Masashi could guarantee that from today onward, Sasuke would be under the White Snake Sage's secret observation.
And there was no escaping Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu now—even if he didn't want to learn, he would have to.
"Masashi-nii, I'm done!" Sasuke got up from the ground, grinning proudly. "Doesn't my handwriting look good?"
It looked way too good.
Congratulations, Sasuke, you've just become the second Uchiha to shock the White Snake Sage.
"Have you been secretly watching your dad practice calligraphy?"
"Yeah!" Sasuke puffed up with pride. "Naruto said that Dad's calligraphy is worth a fortune, so one day, we snuck in and found it."
Wait a minute!
"Naruto was with you?"
"Of course! But only I managed to copy Dad's handwriting! Naruto is too dumb—he couldn't learn it at all! Masashi-nii, am I awesome or what?"
"Yeah, you're amazing."
He had a bad feeling that once Mikoto found out about this, Fugaku was going to have a rough time.
But more importantly…
"Sasuke."
"What?"
"You might just become the richest ninja in Konoha."
His handwriting was identical to Fugaku's.
And Fugaku's original calligraphy had skyrocketed in value—so much so that it was spreading beyond the Land of Fire.
The prices were downright terrifying.
This wouldn't end up causing a war in the shinobi world over some damn calligraphy, would it?
Handwritten works were rarer than blue roses—each one crafted with meticulous strokes.
Coming back to his senses, Masashi patted Sasuke on the shoulder and spoke solemnly.
"Take it easy. Don't randomly copy your father's handwriting anymore."
If he told Sasuke that his writing had no soul despite its form, the kid would just practice even harder.
"Why?" Sasuke was confused. He had been looking forward to showing it off to his friends.
The thought of not being able to show off made him restless.
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it now." Masashi kept a stern face. "Just trust me—it's important."
"Fine." Sasuke pouted, feeling disappointed. But since Masashi was so serious, he reluctantly agreed.
Still, he decided to practice in secret and surprise Masashi once he had perfected it.
After rolling up the contract scroll, Masashi placed it beside the giant chair.
"Thank you for your time, Great Sage. We'll be leaving now."
"Mm, go ahead." The White Snake Sage's gaze lingered on Sasuke, making him shiver. "Make sure to bring that child back to see me soon."
Helpless, Masashi bid farewell to the White Snake Sage and took the group away via reverse summoning.
When they reappeared, they were back in the open clearing where they had first summoned the black snake. Due to the snake's weight, the ground had sunk slightly, so they found themselves at the bottom of a small pit.
Climbing out, Masashi led them on their way back to Konoha.
---
Four days later, they arrived at Konoha.
The moment they entered, Sasuke tried to slip away.
But Masashi was quick and grabbed him instantly.
Then, he headed to Minato's residence and dragged Naruto and Karin out of the house, interrupting their playtime.
Now that the war was over, he was no longer the White Ghost. He was Devil Teacher Masashi.
Kushina had no objections—she felt that Naruto had been playing way too much and was even corrupting Karin!
With a Flying Thunder God, Masashi transported the kids straight to the Valley of the End.
His first order of business was to give Sasuke a long, critical look.
Sasuke's talent was undeniable, but the problem was that without pressure, he became lazy.
And way too cocky.
Sasuke had no idea what he had done today, but he would find out soon enough.
So, Masashi started with a lecture.
"Sasuke, look at yourself. Now look at the others. Why is it that the moment you get home, all you want to do is play?"
"But Naruto and Karin are playing too…" Sasuke felt wronged—he just wanted to have fun with Naruto.
"That's different," Masashi replied. "They were already playing."
"…"
"Alright, enough jokes." he ruffled Sasuke's hair with a grin. "I'm heading out on a long trip in a few days. Before I go, I'll give you all a lesson."
Hearing this, the group reacted differently.
Haku and Anko looked disappointed and sad.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances, clearly up to no good.
Karin, meanwhile, asked bluntly, "Masashi-nii, will you really be gone for long?"
"I don't know yet, but I expect at least a month," Masashi answered.
Then, he turned to the three who had gone to Ryūchi Cave with him.
"Anko, you can use the Striking Shadow Snakes, but you've never properly signed a summoning contract with Ryūchi Cave. Since you've all been there, today's lesson is summoning."
After explaining the concept of summoning, he added, "Your summoning results will depend on your chakra levels, so don't expect to summon anything too powerful. But at the very least, you should summon a snake—not an egg."
At that, he glanced at Naruto.
In the original timeline, this was the guy who once summoned a tadpole—and then personally witnessed its entire growth cycle.
If it had been anyone other than Jiraiya teaching him, they would have lost their mind.
