Them
"What you're doing isn't just pushing Naruto—it's asking for trouble yourself."
Anyone could guess what would happen if Naruto and Sasuke were put together.
And yet, Jiraiya still wanted to bring Sasuke into this?
But to be fair, seeing Sasuke would definitely light a fire under Naruto. After all, Sasuke had been improving at an insane speed lately.
Orochimaru might be ruthless and cruel, but once Yan gave him the green light, he trained Sasuke with brutal and extreme methods.
And it was exactly because of this harsh training that Sasuke's growth skyrocketed like a rocket.
Compared to him, Naruto seemed to be lagging behind.
If they fought right now, Sasuke would absolutely beat Naruto to a pulp.
Of course, while Sasuke had a huge advantage, Naruto wasn't completely hopeless—he was also someone blessed with extraordinary power.
It was just a matter of who got stronger faster.
"Isn't pressure a good thing?
I'm just worried about Sasuke. Orochimaru's summoned beasts aren't exactly easy to handle."
Thinking about Manda's temper, Jiraiya couldn't help but chuckle.
Naruto had a tough time mastering the Summoning Jutsu, but Sasuke wouldn't have it any easier. After all, those snakes were way harder to deal with than the toads from Mount Myoboku.
"As long as you won't regret it."
At this point, there was no need to say more—it was already a challenge.
Yan decided to let things play out.
Since Jiraiya wanted Naruto to feel the pressure, then they might as well go all in.
After finishing his meal, Yan didn't go home. Instead, he headed to Orochimaru's underground lab.
At this hour, Sasuke was still training hard, pushing himself to get stronger.
Glancing at the surveillance footage, Yan tilted his head and asked,
"He's got the Summoning Jutsu down, right?"
"Yeah, but the snakes aren't very cooperative."
Orochimaru gave Yan a helpless look.
"I've taught him everything I could, but I can't change the nature of summoned beasts."
Even he, Orochimaru, had to negotiate with the snakes every time he summoned them—so Sasuke was struggling even more.
"Have Sasuke come out. Bring him to the Forest of Death."
With that, Yan turned and left the underground lab, heading toward the Forest of Death.
Since Manda was being difficult, then they just needed to make it more obedient.
It doesn't matter if you're a Summoned Beast or a Tailed Beast—Uchiha clansmen are very good at taming.
If Manda refuses to obey, Yan wouldn't mind helping Orochimaru find a new Summoned Beast.
A Summoned Beast is just a Summoned Beast. And yet, this one actually thinks it can boss around a ninja?
Just because it comes from one of the Three Great Sacred Lands, it thinks it can do whatever it wants?
Not a chance.
Yan never cared about this kind of thing before. After all, Manda was Orochimaru's Summoned Beast, and whatever conditions it had were Orochimaru's problem.
But now that Sasuke was involved, it was a different story.
Yan figured it was time to set Manda straight. If it was a Summoned Beast, it needed to understand its place.
No more ridiculous demands.
You summon it for battle, and it still wants a tribute?
Why don't you just go to hell?
Orochimaru knew that Yan was about to deal with Manda, so he picked up the mic and said to Sasuke:
"Sasuke, you can stop now. Go wash up first, then come with me to the Forest of Death. Yan is waiting for us there."
"Yes."
Sasuke sometimes resisted Orochimaru's orders, but when it came to Yan's orders, he had no choice but to obey.
Not only did he have to obey, but he also had to hurry—he couldn't keep Yan waiting too long.
The Forest of Death referred to Training Ground 44 in Konohagakure, a place filled with terrifying creatures.
There were wild boars as big as houses, giant snakes the size of trains—many of these creatures had the potential to become ninja beasts, and some were even stronger than the average Genin.
These creatures were specially captured and raised by Konohagakure, and a lot of Chunin exams were held here.
Leaping over the wall, Yan walked alone through the forest and stopped when he found a suitable clearing.
Not long after, Orochimaru arrived with Sasuke.
"Elder."
Sasuke bowed to Yan in greeting.
Yan nodded and said,
"Jiraiya will bring Naruto to see you tomorrow to compare your Summoning Jutsu progress. So I've decided to help you deal with some small problems."
If Jiraiya wanted a challenge, then they'd give him one.
There was no need to question Sasuke's learning ability. Compared to Naruto, who was just fumbling his way through, Sasuke could summon Manda properly—Manda just wouldn't listen.
Dealing with some small problems?
Because of Naruto?
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then obediently bit his finger, formed the hand seals, and slammed his palm onto the ground.
As the summoning seals spread outward from him, a cloud of smoke erupted, and a massive shadow appeared in the clearing.
"..."
Looking at the Summoned Beast Sasuke had called forth, Yan turned to Orochimaru.
You didn't explain it to him?
"Sasuke-sama."
A huge python coiled next to Sasuke, its size overwhelming.
Orochimaru coughed and explained,
"The time was a bit tight, so I didn't get a chance to tell him."
The snake Sasuke summoned wasn't Manda—it was Aoda, who hadn't fully grown yet.
Even though Aoda looked big, compared to the giant snakes of Ryuchi Cave, he was still just a baby.
— ¶ —————————————————————
You're unbelievable.
Glancing at the baby-sized Aoda, Yan let out a breath and reminded Sasuke:
"Jiraiya and Naruto need something bigger to shake them up. A little snake won't cut it. I need you to summon Manda. Can you do that?"
Manda?
Sasuke nodded, looking a little confused.
Aoda was stunned. Wasn't he the one being summoned?
How did it suddenly turn into Manda?
Before Aoda could figure out what was happening, Sasuke canceled the summoning, sending him back, and then performed the summoning jutsu again.
*Boom!!*
Thick white smoke filled the area once more. But this time, it wasn't the baby-sized Aoda that appeared—it was Manda, coiled up like a massive mountain.
In sheer size alone, a summoned beast like Manda wasn't much smaller than a Tailed Beast.
But in terms of power, the gap was pretty big.
Strangely enough, Manda was a mix of an assassin and a warrior—extremely fast, with a powerful body. The only downside was that he wasn't great at using ninjutsu.
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