Orochimaru cast a sidelong glance at Manda, who had already been completely suppressed, then sighed and directly released the Summoning Jutsu. Without Orochimaru's support, Manda turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished into thin air. Li glanced at Zuode, who nodded lightly, then ran a few steps to the side. A crack appeared in the air, and Zuode stepped into it and disappeared as well.
"Li, your strength has grown quickly, kid! You'll probably surpass Minato before long," Jiraiya's voice rang out. Li looked in that direction and saw Jiraiya and Tsunade walking over. It seemed that the commotion caused by Li and Orochimaru had alerted quite a few people.
Li gave a bitter smile. "Teacher Tsunade, Teacher Jiraiya, Teacher Orochimaru was definitely going easy on me. Otherwise, I would've lost long ago."
"But your summoned beast is incredibly formidable," Jiraiya said as he looked Li up and down. "Still, such a powerful summoned beast is something you need to be careful when controlling. It wouldn't be good if it backlashed against you."
Li understood what Jiraiya meant. After all, Zuode looked exceptionally ferocious. Anyone might assume he was the same sort as Manda, and if Li's strength were lacking, a backlash was indeed possible.
"Hmph. I merely had a spar with Li, yet you two came running over," Orochimaru said. However, Li caught a trace of warmth in his eyes. Though he spoke that way, he probably still deeply acknowledged these two companions of his.
"It has indeed been a long time since we last met. Why don't we go to a gam... bar and sit for a while?" Tsunade said heartily. She had probably wanted to say casino, but luckily changed her words in time. After all, they were at a critical juncture in selecting the Fourth