Mad Fang

Whoosh—

The night wind swept through the dark valley, carrying mournful echoes in its wake.

The once-tranquil forest at the valley floor had long since become a complete mess. The ground around the central pool looked as though it had been plowed over entirely, scarred and devastated.

A colossal snake lay beside the pool, its massive body sprawled across the ground. A gruesome wound marked its head, and it lay motionless, too weak to struggle.

After an unknown amount of time, something suddenly stirred beneath the giant snake's belly. A figure then crawled out from under its body in a sorry state.

Because the giant snake had been severely injured, the Sage Chakra in the air gradually began to dissipate. Yan Hong collapsed onto the ground. Though he was not seriously hurt, he was utterly drained. He sat there panting heavily, still shaken as he looked at the giant snake before him.

"Cough, cough..." A weak cough suddenly rang out. The giant snake twisted its body slightly. Though it was not quite dead, it no longer had the strength to rise. Its scarlet eyes shifted as it said resentfully, "If this old man had recovered, how could I have lost to a brat like you?"

"But the final result is that you lost." Seeing that the giant snake had lost its ability to fight, Yan Hong spread his hands and lay flat on the ground. "Hey, what's your name? From the sound of it, do you have a grudge against the White Snake Sage?"

"Brat, don't think that just because you beat this old man, you can do whatever you please. Do you believe this old man can still use—"

"Yes, yes, I believe you." Before the giant snake could finish, Yan Hong cut him off speechlessly. "Anyway, we're both exhausted now. Why not have a chat? Hey, my name is Uchiha Yan Hong. What about you?"

Whoosh—

The valley floor fell silent once more. Yan Hong smiled and did not mind. Just as he was about to close his eyes and recover while he could, the giant snake's rough voice came from beside him. "Brat, remember this. This old man is called Mad Fang, one of the strongest beings in Ryūchi Cave..."

"Oh?" Yan Hong became interested. "Then what grudge do you have against the White Snake Sage?"

"Hmph, that old hag was afraid this old man would surpass her." Hatred flashed through Mad Fang's eyes. "Just because this old man cultivated a forbidden Sage Art, she wanted to strip away my Sage Chakra. Hmph, naturally, this old man refused, so I fought her for three days and three nights. Hmph, and it was precisely because of that battle that I was left with these severe injuries."

Mad Fang then slightly turned his head and looked toward the large tree at the center of the pool. During their earlier battle, Mad Fang had avoided that area, leaving the surroundings of the giant tree unharmed.

"After that, this old man discovered this treasured place. The fruit growing on that tree contains an enormous amount of life force, but it only grows once every hundred years. This old man finally waited another hundred years, only to run into a brat like you. But speaking of which, how did you resist this old man's Sage Chakra?"

"Just consider me lucky. I really shouldn't have been able to get here in the first place." Yan Hong gave a vague explanation, pushed himself to his feet, and said, "How about we make a deal? I won't take that fruit, and you teach me Sage Art."

"You want to learn Sage Art?" Mad Fang glanced at Yan Hong. "I can't teach you Sage Art. The Sage Art of Ryūchi Cave requires that old hag to inject natural energy into you."

"Tch. So that was it, huh? Then sorry, I'll be taking that fruit." Yan Hong spoke as he headed toward the ancient tree.

"Wait!" Mad Fang suddenly called out to him. His huge snake eyes flickered, revealing his inner struggle. After a long while, as though he had finally made up his mind, he said, "Although this old man cannot teach you Sage Art, I can lend you my Sage Art."

Yan Hong stopped in his tracks. "Lend it to me? How?"

Mad Fang had recovered a little strength and slowly propped up his head. He said gradually, "This old man possesses a Contract Sealing Technique. Once we form a contract, this old man can seal myself inside your body. Then, this old man can directly help you gather Sage Chakra within your body, which would be equivalent to you possessing Sage Art."

Yan Hong thought for a moment. "It sounds good, but you must want something too, right?"

"Hmph, naturally." Mad Fang snorted. "Since it is a contract, you must also help this old man find treasures capable of restoring life force."

Yan Hong raised a brow, intrigued. "Oh? You trust that I can find them?"

Mad Fang lifted his head and said proudly, "This old man does not stay in this valley all the time. I know something about the human world as well. With the influence of your Uchiha Clan, you will always be faster than this old man alone. It can be considered mutual assistance. What do you think?"

Yan Hong lowered his head in thought. Borrowing Mad Fang's Sage Art was not the same as learning it himself, but it would still allow him to use Sage Art. Moreover, judging from their clash just now, Mad Fang's combat strength was extremely high. At his peak, he was likely stronger than Big Brother was now!

Even with his strength currently diminished, Yan Hong probably could not have defeated him without the medicinal wine. In other words, before Mad Fang recovered to his peak, Yan Hong had effectively gained a super summons beast!

With that in mind, Yan Hong readily agreed. "No problem. I'll help you find things that can restore your strength, but I also hope that when I need you, you'll help me."

Mad Fang replied, "That depends on this old man's mood. After all, this is not a summoning contract. But if you sincerely help this old man find treasures, it is not impossible for me to help you. Of course, if you do nothing, this old man can leave you at any time."

Yan Hong nodded. "Deal."

Mad Fang looked into Yan Hong's eyes and said in a deep voice, "Hmph, this old man does not have enough chakra to perform the Sealing Jutsu right now. I must eat that fruit first. If you are uneasy or afraid, then pretend this old man said nothing."

Yan Hong said nothing. He slowly walked toward the giant tree in the pool, leaped up to pluck the fruit from the tree, and threw it toward Mad Fang from afar.

"Hmph." The corners of Mad Fang's mouth curled up slightly as he opened his mouth and swallowed the fruit in one bite!

Boom—

In an instant, enormous chakra erupted from Mad Fang's body. The injury on his head visibly began to heal. Mad Fang let out a satisfied groan, then activated the Sealing Jutsu. A pillar of light shot out from his body and connected directly to Yan Hong.

"Hey, Yan Hong, squeeze out a drop of blood!"

Yan Hong did not hesitate. He bit open his right thumb and flicked a drop of blood onto the pillar of light.

Boom—

As the contract formed, dense runes appeared across Mad Fang's body. All the runes shone with dazzling light, and Mad Fang's originally massive body transformed into a streak of light that entered Yan Hong's body along the pillar. A snake pattern then appeared clearly on the back of Yan Hong's right hand.

A voice directly appeared in Yan Hong's mind. "All right, the contract has been formed. This old man needs to digest the life force of that fruit. Do not disturb me unless there is something important."

After saying that, Mad Fang fell completely silent.

Yan Hong looked at the pattern on the back of his hand and discovered that after entering his body, Mad Fang had shared some life force with him. His slightly weakened body immediately became full of vigor again.

"Well. Not bad."

Yan Hong nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly frowned in confusion. "Right, why do I feel like I've forgotten something..."

Then his expression changed drastically. "Damn it! I forgot to save someone!"