After Naruto left, Sasuke took a Military Ration Pill and settled his mind. Once he had recovered to peak condition, he began practicing Summoning Jutsu again.
This time, he planned to give it everything he had and see what kind of Summoning Beast he could call forth at his limit. He formed hand seals and said, "Summoning Jutsu!"
After billows of smoke cleared, an enormous purple snake over twenty meters long appeared before Sasuke. Even he was startled by the snake he had summoned.
Then wild joy surged through him. He had never expected to summon such an enormous snake. As he looked at it, the corners of his mouth curved upward.
The enormous snake looked at Sasuke after appearing and asked in confusion, "Were you the one who summoned me? Hello, my name is Xiao Qing. May I ask your name, my lord?"
This was Sasuke's first encounter with a talking Summoning Beast, so he asked in mild surprise, "You can talk?"
Xiao Qing replied, "Yes, my lord. In fact, most Summoning Beasts can speak. It's just that we snakes tend to be withdrawn by nature, and humans naturally dislike snakes, so most snakes aren't willing to speak to humans either."
Sasuke asked in confusion, "Then why are you talking to me? Are you different from them?"
Xiao Qing replied, "I used to be withdrawn too, but I gradually grew to dislike that part of myself. I wanted to find a companion I could trust. I believe snakes and humans can become friends."
Sasuke understood how Xiao Qing felt, because he was the same. His pride kept him from befriending the weak, because most of them only wanted to be his friends because he was strong.
But Sasuke knew they were not sincere. He hated their hypocrisy, so he