Chapter 86: Orochimaru: Who Is Manda’s Master? Can I Summon Him Again?

"Yes, Master," Manda replied, his voice trembling with fear as he quickly retreated back to Ryuchi Cave.

With the situation resolved, Snowy returned to her mini form and gracefully perched on Takuya's shoulder. She nuzzled his cheek affectionately, then curled up into a small, fluffy white ball.

Takuya turned to Nawaki with a shrug, a playful smirk on his face. "Looks like I accidentally stole your teacher's summoning beast."

This really isn't my fault.

Nawaki shot a wary glance at Snowy, forcing a smile that was more of a grimace. "It's not my problem. Manda was never my summoning beast anyway."

Maybe that green snake in Ryuchi Cave would suit Nawaki better, Takuya mused. By the timeline, the green snake was probably still just a youngling. Nawaki should be able to tame it. Perhaps he'd ask Manda about it next time.

As for Minato, Takuya had no worries. As long as Minato had enough chakra and gained Gamabunta's approval, he could summon the toad boss anytime for battle. Gamabunta wasn't one to make absurd demands.

"By the way, why haven't you signed a contract with the slug? Isn't that something passed down in the Senju family?" Takuya asked, genuinely curious.

It was odd that Tsunade hadn't had Nawaki sign a contract with Katsuyu. If Sakura could do it, there was no reason Nawaki couldn't.

Nawaki scrunched his nose in disgust. "Too ugly, and it's all sticky. Besides, I'm not a medical ninja, so what's the point?"

If Katsuyu could hear this, Takuya thought, she'd be heartbroken.

"…"

You're brave, Nawaki. If you dare say that in front of your sister, then Minato and I will definitely respect you.

"Come on, let's head back to camp. There's not much more we can do here. We've sent the warning; the rest is up to Orochimaru," Takuya suggested.

At the Konoha camp, inside a hidden cave, Orochimaru was intently studying a map when a small snake slithered down from his pant leg, raising its head to hiss softly at him.

Jiraiya, who was sitting nearby and drinking water, nearly choked, spitting out a spray of water. "Orochimaru, can't you keep your snakes under control? It's creepy when they suddenly drop out of your pants."

Orochimaru gave him an icy glare, his golden eyes narrowing with disdain, before returning his focus to the snake.

Tsunade sighed in exasperation and threw a punch at Jiraiya's shoulder. "Shut up, you perv."

Seriously, what kind of description is that? Snakes dropping out of pants? Your mind is as filthy as ever.

"Manda?" Orochimaru murmured, his interest piqued. After a brief exchange with the small snake, he swiftly exited the cave, heading for the open area outside. He bit his finger and quickly formed a series of seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Boom!

A thick cloud of white smoke erupted, revealing Manda's enormous form. But this time, Manda was in terrible shape, covered in wounds and with several of his scales cracked and broken.

Snowy's nine tails weren't just for show; when used like whips, they inflicted pain that even Manda, with all his toughness, could barely endure. He had been howling in agony the whole time.

Did Manda come to see Orochimaru for a reason?

Was he going to demand more tributes?

Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged glances, well aware of how troublesome Manda could be when it came to his demands.

Orochimaru, however, was taken aback. He hadn't expected Manda to show up in such a battered state.

"Orochimaru," Manda began, his voice carrying a mix of pain and irritation, "I'm recovering from injuries and don't have time to deal with you. My new master asked me to inform you that Amegakure is on the move. A large number of their ninja are gathering to surround Konoha's position. Be fully prepared."

"And one more thing," Manda added, his tone shifting to one of finality. "From now on, I'm following my new master. Don't summon me again—I won't respond."

Poof!

With that, Manda vanished, returning to Ryuchi Cave, leaving Orochimaru staring at the spot where the giant serpent had just been, a rare look of surprise on his face. Tsunade and Jiraiya were equally dumbfounded.

They had expected Manda to show up demanding tributes, but instead, he had severed ties with Orochimaru and delivered a warning about Amegakure's movements.

Just like that, he cut ties and left?

Who made Manda deliver this message?

Who is Manda's new master?

Orochimaru's mind raced with questions. As Manda's summoning partner, he knew the serpent's temper all too well. Manda would never willingly call anyone "master," let alone treat a summoning partner with any semblance of respect.

Had Manda really changed?

Were the injuries from a battle, or was there something else going on?

Various scenarios played out in Orochimaru's mind as he mulled over the situation.

After a moment, Orochimaru summoned a smaller snake and sent it back to Ryuchi Cave with a mission to get to the bottom of this.

Manda had been cryptic, and Orochimaru needed answers.

"Orochimaru, did your summoning beast just rebel?" Jiraiya couldn't help but gloat, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I've always said the snakes from Ryuchi Cave are unreliable. You should've gone with the toads from Mount Myoboku instead."

"Mount Myoboku's toads are nothing but snake food," Orochimaru replied coolly, not even bothering to look at Jiraiya.

"Uh…"

Jiraiya was momentarily at a loss for words.

But it didn't take long for him to recover, his face flushing with anger as he shouted, "That's nonsense! The toads of Mount Myoboku have eaten plenty of Ryuchi Cave's snakes!"

"Heh…" Orochimaru let out a low, mocking chuckle, clearly unimpressed, before turning on his heel to head back into the cave.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Jiraiya yelled, growing more frustrated by the second.

Tsunade stepped in, grabbing Jiraiya by the arm before he could follow Orochimaru. "That's enough! Now's not the time for your childish antics. We need to confirm the validity of this intel and make preparations. Or do you want to be surrounded by the enemy?"

Soon, a message returned from Ryuchi Cave.

Manda's response was that he didn't even know who his new master was. However, with Nawaki's involvement, Orochimaru quickly pieced together that Takuya was the one behind this.

The intel was accurate: Amegakure was indeed mobilizing a large force to surround Konoha's position, likely preparing for a decisive battle. Hanzō had run out of patience.

Orochimaru's serpent-like eyes narrowed as he processed the information. He had known that Amegakure would reach its breaking point sooner or later.

He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Hanzō was preparing for a decisive battle with Konoha. If he won, he would likely try to expand his gains, possibly even invading the Land of Fire to plunder resources and prolong the war. If he lost, he would negotiate with Konoha, betting that they wouldn't refuse.

At this point, Konoha was fighting on multiple fronts and was stretched thin. As long as Amegakure was willing to negotiate, Konoha would likely agree, even if it meant making some concessions.

Konoha urgently needed to withdraw its forces from the Land of Rain to prepare for the impending conflict in the Land of Rivers.

Compared to Amegakure, Sunagakure posed the real threat.

"Takuya is Manda's new master? How did he manage to tame Manda?" Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged puzzled glances, still trying to wrap their heads around the situation. Meanwhile, Orochimaru just smiled faintly, the pieces falling into place in his mind. He knew that Takuya's summoning beast must have intervened. The injuries on Manda made that much clear.

As expected, Snowy wasn't just some cute pet. She was a fearsome beast.

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