All Power Lies Within

After taking two unexpected attacks, each fiercer than the last, Manda felt as though his head were splitting apart.

His eyes held not only fury but also disbelief. Since when had Orochimaru's taijutsu become this strong? Even that ninja contracted with Katsuyu had never attacked this fiercely.

But those doubts were instantly drowned by rage. He raised his head from the earthen pit once more, unleashing an uncontrollable hiss of fury.

Orochimaru also leaped down from Manda's head.

For a moment, violent winds swept through the area and force surged in every direction. Sand and stones flew through the valleys on both sides, startling flocks of birds into flight.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Orochimaru would have thought it was the roar of a Tyrannosaurus.

"Looks like you're still not convinced. Good. It's been a long time since I've been able to cut loose!"

As a snake demon that had cultivated to sentience, Manda was not only enormous and capable of human speech, but also possessed an immense amount of Sage Mode Chakra.

An attack of this level had hurt him, but making him obediently submit was clearly impossible. Moreover, Sage Mode Chakra quickly healed his injuries, making him even more fearless.

"Orochimaru, you have successfully enraged me. I swear I'll make you beg for death but be unable to die!"

The next moment, Manda sprayed streams of venom from his mouthparts. The poison blanketed the sky as it poured down upon Orochimaru.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Orochimaru vanished from where he stood once more, and every stream of venom struck empty air.

Orochimaru reappeared before Manda. Just as he was about to deliver a vicious blow to Manda's eye—

A fierce gust came from the side. Orochimaru neither dodged nor retreated, merely raising an arm before him.

Bang...!

Manda's tail, carrying the force of ten thousand catties, slammed heavily into Orochimaru's arm. Yet Orochimaru looked completely unaffected; he did not even shift his feet by half a step.

"How is that possible?"

Manda's face filled with shock once more. His tail felt as though it had struck an immovable pillar. Not only had he failed to injure Orochimaru in the slightest, but his own tail throbbed with pain.

For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. Orochimaru could absorb all of that kinetic energy, but Manda could only endure the recoil with his thick hide.

Ignoring Manda's repeated astonishment, Orochimaru threw another heavy straight punch into his mouth, instantly shattering his two front fangs.

The next moment, Manda's anguished howl echoed throughout the valley. Today, he finally understood what it meant to be utterly crushed on every front. Even with Sage Mode Chakra, quick reactions, and thick scales, he could not withstand Orochimaru's iron fists.

All power lay within oneself. Taijutsu was the most suitable method against Summoning Beasts of such enormous size. If one's taijutsu was not enough, it only meant they had not trained hard enough.

Manda's attitude had shifted from initial disdain, to rage, and now to a trace of fear. He only wished he could split apart like a slug and avoid these attacks.

"If I don't beat you into submission today, then I'm not Orochimaru!"

As he spoke, Orochimaru used Sonido to arrive at Manda's vital point. As the saying went, strike a snake at seven inches. No matter how huge it became, that spot remained a snake's weakness.

After the previous attacks, Orochimaru had roughly grasped Manda's limit. Each of his attacks grew heavier and more forceful.

A whip kick carrying immense force blasted toward Manda's vital point. Before it even landed, Manda's body had already warped and caved inward, showing just how terrifying the attack was!

Manda's enormous body had nowhere to evade, and it was already too late to dodge.

As a heart-wrenching howl rang out, Manda's entire body slammed viciously into the mountainside beside him.

The entire valley shook violently. Rolling stones scattered everywhere, and massive cracks appeared across the cliff face.

Seeing Manda bleeding from his mouth and nose, his venomous fangs shattered, Orochimaru thought that after being beaten so badly, this fellow should finally behave.

But when he met Manda's venomous gaze, he knew the fellow would not give up until he saw the coffin. Did he really think Orochimaru would not dare kill him?

"Your eyes make me very uncomfortable!"

As he spoke, Orochimaru prepared to step forward and smash his eyes. Why keep a Summoning Beast like this alive? Was he waiting for it to kill its master? This fellow had rebellion written into his bones; he could not be tamed.

But just as Orochimaru was about to strike, Manda proactively dismissed the Summoning Jutsu.

A cloud of white smoke rose, and Manda's enormous body vanished.

The sudden change made Orochimaru pause, surprise appearing on his face.

A Summoning Beast could unilaterally dismiss a summon without the contractor's consent.

However, under most circumstances, Summoning Beasts would not do this lightly. If they unilaterally dismissed themselves whenever danger arose, what was the point of having them?

That was why the relationship between a contractor and a Summoning Beast was either that of companions or a superior-subordinate partnership.

At the very least, they needed to trust and help each other, rather than having a relationship like this with Manda, who obeyed orders but ignored commands.

"Heh! That lets him off easy. But there will be plenty of time later!"

Orochimaru was in no hurry. Since the two had already signed a summoning contract, he could summon Manda as many times a day as he wished, so long as he had enough Chakra.

Of course, if he summoned the Summoning Beast for no reason just to beat it up, it would inevitably deepen the trust crisis between them.

But Manda did not have such concerns. Orochimaru could continue using the Summoning Jutsu to summon him again now, but after thinking about it, he decided to let it go.

He would give Manda a few more chances. If it truly did not work out later, killing him would not be much of a loss.

"All this commotion has made me a little hungry!"

With that thought, Orochimaru decided to fill his stomach first.

Before long, Orochimaru built a fire, set up a pot, and heated some oil.

He planned to stay in this valley for the next few days. Until he had tamed Manda, he had no intention of leaving.

Over the following days, Orochimaru summoned Manda every day.

And the moment Manda appeared, Orochimaru did not give him the chance to speak. He beat him up first!

Manda suffered terribly as a result. At first, he struggled without end, but after exhausting every tactic and trump card he had without being able to do anything to Orochimaru—

He finally realized that Orochimaru was no longer the same Orochimaru he could casually make excessive demands of.

Furthermore, after being beaten bloody and battered by Orochimaru's unreasonable fists every day for the past few days, even if his bones were not completely broken and tendons torn, fractures could be found everywhere.

The pain was unbearable, and he gradually lost the will to resist.

The time before he unilaterally dismissed the Summoning Jutsu also became shorter and shorter. After ten consecutive days of brutal beatings—

On this day, Orochimaru summoned Manda once again.

"Don't rush back just yet. I think we can have a proper talk now!"