Chapter 542: Ryuchi Cave

Chapter 542: Chapter 542: Ryuchi Cave

Drip...

Drip...

The sound of water droplets falling from the stalactites overhead echoed continuously through the dark, silent cave.

As they walked through the cave, Naruto glanced around, noticing that the mist was growing thicker and thicker, while visibility was steadily decreasing. Anything more than a meter or two away was already difficult to make out.

Hinata timidly followed behind Naruto, her hand tightly clutching his sleeve. Her delicate little face was filled with nervousness, as though she were terrified of getting separated from him.

Naruto turned his head and smiled at Hinata. "It’s okay. You’ve got me!"

"Mm!"

Hinata nodded firmly.

After walking through the cave for quite some time, Naruto finally couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer and asked Kabuto, who had been leading the way, "Big Brother Kabuto, where are we going?"

Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "Somewhere we can hide from the enemy!"

Through his earlier sensory ninjutsu, Kabuto had discovered that the elite shinobi approaching this secret base all possessed chakra reserves at the level of elite jonin. He had therefore immediately abandoned any thought of confronting them head-on and instead led Naruto and Hinata deeper into the cave.

The reason Orochimaru had established a secret base inside this cave and placed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, such an important hostage, here was not merely because of its remote geographical location.

More importantly, this cave was connected to a mysterious realm that existed somewhere between reality and illusion—a natural sanctuary where one could take refuge from powerful enemies.

Kabuto had long been curious about what lay hidden in the depths of the cave. But without Orochimaru’s permission, he hadn’t dared to explore it on his own.

Now, the arrival of an external enemy had given him the perfect excuse to seek refuge deeper inside. Without hesitation, he led Naruto and Hinata further into the cave.

Before long, the mist had grown so thick that even someone standing a single step away was impossible to see clearly. The three were completely swallowed by the dense fog, and Naruto and Hinata had utterly lost their sense of direction.

"B-Big Brother Kabuto, how much farther do we have to go?"

By now, even Naruto couldn’t help grabbing Kabuto’s sleeve, just as Hinata was clutching his own.

Kabuto remained calm and smiled. "We’re almost there."

Naruto muttered under his breath, "That’s what you said earlier, but we’ve been walking forever and still haven’t arrived!"

Kabuto glanced back at Naruto. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes before quickly disappearing.

Then, smiling, he asked, "Naruto, do you know why you can’t learn the Clone Technique?"

Naruto had always been troubled by this question, so he hurriedly asked, "Why?"

Kabuto replied, "Because you’re the son of the demon fox. That’s why you can’t use chakra like a normal person."

Having already reached the level of a jonin and being proficient in medical ninjutsu, Kabuto had naturally recognized that the Nine-Tails inside Naruto was the true culprit interfering with his ability to perform ninjutsu normally.

Naruto’s expression fell once again. Pouting, he asked, "Th-Then does that mean I’ll never be able to learn the Clone Technique?"

Kabuto seemed to be pondering something as he slowly continued, "Actually, besides using chakra, there’s another way to perform ninjutsu. And that is..."

"What is it? Big Brother Kabuto, hurry up and tell me!"

The moment Naruto heard there was another way to learn ninjutsu, his spirits immediately soared.

Gazing into the depths of the mist, Kabuto revealed an eerie smile.

"That is... Senjutsu!"

"Senjutsu!?"

Naruto froze for a moment. He had never heard this term back in the village. Even Sasuke, who always seemed to have strange words coming out of his mouth, had never mentioned it.

"As long as you master Senjutsu and learn to absorb natural energy from outside your body, you can still become an excellent shinobi even if you can’t use the chakra within you. You might even become Hokage someday!"

Kabuto chuckled softly, the corners of his mouth curling higher and higher.

Thanks to Jugo, Orochimaru’s research into natural energy had already progressed considerably. The Cursed Mark was one of the fruits of that research.

However, because Orochimaru had used the forbidden Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique to transfer into another body, his constitution had certain problems, creating obstacles to his cultivation of Senjutsu.

Furthermore, cultivating Senjutsu carried enormous risks. Even someone as extraordinarily talented as Orochimaru couldn’t guarantee success. As a result, his research into Senjutsu had reached a dead end.

Kabuto was a man who had lost his sense of self. He therefore hoped to master Senjutsu and turn himself into a reference that Orochimaru could study in his own pursuit of Senjutsu.

Because of this, Kabuto’s fascination with Senjutsu grew stronger by the day, becoming increasingly difficult to suppress.

As Naruto listened to Kabuto’s explanation, his mind suddenly wandered.

He began imagining himself becoming Hokage, with Sasuke treating him with utmost respect and the villagers cheering and showering him with praise.

The more he imagined it, the more carried away he became, until drool unconsciously began trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Meanwhile, Kabuto was waiting for Naruto to excitedly declare that he wanted to learn Senjutsu.

But when Naruto remained silent for so long, Kabuto grew suspicious and hurriedly glanced back.

What greeted him was the sight of Naruto lost in a daydream, drool hanging from his mouth.

Kabuto’s face immediately darkened.

"What a carefree little brat. Would it really be useful to have him attempt Senjutsu training first...?"

Just then, Naruto finally snapped out of his daydream and exclaimed, "Big Brother Kabuto, I wanna learn Senjutsu! Hurry up and teach me!"

Kabuto shook his head. "I’m sorry, but I don’t know Senjutsu."

"Huh?" Naruto was deeply disappointed. He quickly asked, "Then who can teach me Senjutsu? Orochimaru-sensei?"

Kabuto shook his head again. "Lord Orochimaru doesn’t know Senjutsu either!"

Naruto was shocked. "Even a shinobi as powerful as Orochimaru-sensei doesn’t know Senjutsu?"

"Very, very few shinobi in the shinobi world have mastered Senjutsu. I’m afraid there’s no one who can guide you."

After a brief pause, Kabuto glanced ahead, where the faint outline of a towering cave entrance had begun to emerge from the mist.

With a look of longing on his face, he continued, "But I know a place where you can train in Senjutsu."

"Where can I train in Senjutsu?"

Naruto’s eyes widened as he asked curiously.

Without a doubt, Kabuto had successfully sparked his interest in Senjutsu.

At that moment, Kabuto, who had been leading them through the mist, suddenly stopped walking.

Naruto, who had been following closely behind him, immediately bumped into his back.

Rubbing his head, he complained, "Big Brother Kabuto, why’d you suddenly stop?"

Kabuto stared absentmindedly at the cave entrance before him and murmured, "We’re here."

Naruto poked his head out from behind Kabuto and examined the ancient, imposing entrance.

"Huh? What is this place?"

Hinata, still clutching Naruto’s sleeve, recognized the large words inscribed above the entrance and softly read aloud, "Ryuchi Cave."

"Ryuchi Cave?" Naruto scratched his head and asked, "What kind of place is Ryuchi Cave? Why would anyone live in such a remote cave? That’s so weird!"

Kabuto smiled.

"This is where you can learn Senjutsu. Besides, when did I ever say that the ones living here were human?"