Manda, Who Do You Think You're Talking To?

A few days later, Orochimaru packed up a few things and left Konoha.

Other than informing the Third Hokage, Danzo, and Tsunade, Orochimaru told no one else.

It was still peacetime, and there was nothing particularly urgent going on in the village.

The Third Hokage did not make things difficult for him. He simply asked about the situation, and upon learning that Orochimaru was going out to train, he let him go.

It was common enough for people like Jiraiya, who often went off in search of inspiration at the drop of a hat, to be absent from the village.

Besides, Jiraiya was in the village most of the time now. With the two of them holding down the fort, there was nothing to worry about.

As for Danzo, he naturally did not want to let him leave after learning that he would be gone for half a year to a year. Still, he knew better than to push Orochimaru too hard.

On top of that, the two things he had promised Orochimaru had yet to be delivered, so he was already in the wrong. He could not exactly force him to stay; if it drew other people's attention, it would be difficult to explain.

Traveling with Sonido, Orochimaru spent two days putting a great distance between himself and Konoha. This time, he had no clear destination—or rather, not yet.

"Ah... It's been a long time since I've been out. This feels pretty good."

Orochimaru sped along, continuously teleporting through the air. One moment he was here, the next he was already dozens of meters away.

Back in Konoha, he had always kept himself hidden and used Sonido in secret. When had he ever been able to let loose like this?

"I finally understand Minato's carefree style. Who would've thought Brother Snake would one day soar through the skies and travel the earth?"

Orochimaru looked down at the terrain below, his Mind Net fully spread. Along the way, he sensed quite a few wild beasts in the forests, and his absurdly powerful vision let him truly experience what it felt like to be an eagle soaring through the heavens.

Everything within a thousand meters lay clearly before his eyes, allowing Orochimaru to avoid villages and native inhabitants in advance, sparing him plenty of trouble.

Suddenly, he spotted a vast, secluded valley ahead, and his eyes lit up.

"Not bad. This is the place!"

With that, Orochimaru reached the valley in just a few breaths. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and streams murmured, making it seem like a paradise beyond the world.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Orochimaru cut his finger and rapidly formed hand seals. As a cloud of white smoke rose, a massive shadow emerged from within the mist.

A gigantic purple serpent with two horns appeared before him, its enormous body radiating overwhelming pressure.

"Orochimaru, what do you want with me?"

The one speaking in human language was Orochimaru's Summoning Beast, Manda!

As the Summoning Beast of Ryūchi Cave, one of the three great sacred lands, Manda stood on the same level as Katsuyu of Shikkotsu Forest and the toads of Mount Myōboku. In terms of combat strength, it was even slightly stronger than the latter two.

"Can't I call you out just to chat?"

Orochimaru looked at the huge creature with a faint smile. A foul stench wafted from its enormous maw, its sharp venomous fangs looked exceptionally vicious, and its ferocious appearance was highly intimidating.

Every time Manda was summoned, it demanded that Orochimaru provide a hundred living humans as food. Such things had never been scarce on the battlefield, but in ordinary times, that demand put enormous pressure on Orochimaru.

The relationship between a Summoning Beast and its master was either one of superior and subordinate, like Tsunade's, or one of partners, like Jiraiya's.

Orochimaru's relationship with Manda, however, was somewhat delicate. The two were more like business partners: Orochimaru provided food, and it helped him fight.

In the Original Work, perhaps the summoning contract had expired, or perhaps after Orochimaru used Living Corpse Reincarnation, Manda no longer acknowledged his identity. From then on, every time he summoned it, it made exorbitant demands.

Looking at the hand seals Orochimaru used to summon Manda after performing Living Corpse Reincarnation, they had indeed changed.

But now, everything was different. The moment Orochimaru gained strength, he thought of this greedy snake. It was time to properly straighten out their relationship!

"Are you joking with me? If you do not offer me one hundred living humans, I would not mind making you my food today!"

Manda's entire spine stiffened, and its snake head leaned close to Orochimaru. A fishy stench hit him full in the face.

Judging by its posture, if Orochimaru could not meet its demands, it really would swallow him in one bite. Even ordinarily, whenever it discovered that Orochimaru was seriously injured, it would grow restless, always thinking of devouring its master.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I think it's time to redefine our relationship!"

At Orochimaru's words, Manda's pupils suddenly contracted. Did this brat take the wrong medicine? Since when did he dare speak to me in that tone?

Thinking that, Manda instantly flew into a rage. Had it been too easygoing lately? Did he really think it was one of those idiots from Mount Myōboku or Shikkotsu Forest?

"No hundred sacrifices, huh? Let's see if you can take a hundred fists instead!"

Before Manda could erupt, Orochimaru flashed before its eyes. Then a heavy uppercut shot toward its lower jaw.

The next instant, its head was knocked skyward by Orochimaru's tiny fist. Manda's entire body was flipped over by the tremendous force, its lower and upper jaws slamming tightly together.

Manda had never dreamed that Orochimaru would attack without warning, much less that he possessed such terrifying strength.

But those questions were not the priority. After taking Orochimaru's sudden punch, Manda immediately launched a counterattack.

The next moment, Manda's raised head abruptly changed direction, and its huge mouth—large enough to easily swallow an elephant—viciously bit down on Orochimaru.

But such an attack posed no threat to Orochimaru now. Before his eyes, Manda's every movement was like slow motion, slowed down two or three times.

With a Sonido, he evaded its bite, and his figure appeared atop Manda's head.

The monstrous strength in his fist, countless times greater than Tsunade's, came crashing down on Manda's upper temporal bone.

If he were not worried about killing the creature with a single punch, Orochimaru would not have minded releasing all the energy in his body at once.

But his main goal was not to kill Manda. It would be better to beat it into submission and make it obedient rather than strike a fatal blow.

Sure enough, Manda was left dizzy and disoriented by the punch. Its body smashed a massive crater into the flat ground, while its head was blasted into the earth.

"I preferred that arrogant look you had just now!"

With a thud, Orochimaru stood atop Manda's head and looked down at it, his eyes filled with mockery and disdain.

"A beast is still a beast. You should know your place. Otherwise..."

Orochimaru unconsciously licked his lips.

"I wouldn't mind beating you to death!"