Chapter 40: Manda Said, Give Me Your Crow...
In a sense, the Sannin's summoned beasts might be even more remarkable than the Sannin themselves. After all, on a large battlefield, giant summoned beasts possess a strategic, crushing advantage.
Orochimaru's summoned beast was Manda from Ryuchi Cave, one of the ninja world's hidden locations. Whether its strength was formidable wasn't particularly clear, but its appetite was definitely not small...
"Orochimaru, although this time's sacrifice looks delicious, the quantity isn't enough..."
Manda glanced at the group of ant-sized children below. With its keen understanding of mathematics, it immediately counted the approximate number; there weren't enough heads.
"Caw..."
Kitahara looked up, gazing at the mountain-sized Manda, deeply feeling as if it had undergone a baptism... Look at what constitutes the awareness of a top-tier ninja beast!
Then look at myself...
Back in Konoha Village, a brat who didn't know life from death was always spitting at it, and it had no way to deal with him...
While out training, a shameless old man was always criticizing its faults: sleeping in, being greedy, lazy, and so on, and it likewise had no way to refute him...
The road to turning things around begins here!
"Caw!"
The crow flapped its wings and soared high.
A second later, it felt Manda's body was huge. To attack it, there was no need to fly that high...
Thinking again, the cub's shoulder was more comfortable, and not so tiring... Summoned beasts like Manda should be left for Jiraiya to handle...
"Alright, alright, now, stop crying first, we need to leave here quickly..." Uchiha Itachi comforted a few children who were crying their eyes out, urging them to move. Suddenly, he felt his shoulder dip.
Itachi saw the crow open its beak and yawn.
Its sleeping habits are really well maintained!
Can't even handle staying up late...
"Kitahara, hold on a little longer, we'll be back in the small town soon." Uchiha Itachi's worried expression softened slightly upon seeing the crow's action, and he gently rubbed its neck.
The group of turnip heads suddenly collapsed onto the ground and started crying frankly...
"Waaah waaah!"
"I want to go home..."
"Big brother... that really, really big snake..."
"Dad... Mom..."
Uchiha Itachi turned his head and saw Manda lunging towards them. Its huge size didn't mean it was slow; its speed was very fast, appearing before Uchiha Itachi in the blink of an eye.
The little boy's heart sank...
Teacher Jiraiya can't block it at all...
In reality, Jiraiya was completely entangled by Orochimaru, not even having a gap to perform a summoning jutsu. The two of them were still playing their ninja battle game!
Orochimaru, with his clear objective, had a rather straightforward plan. He didn't need to think about how to defeat Jiraiya; he just needed to engage Jiraiya in close combat and then send Manda to take Uchiha Itachi away...
Jiraiya, on the other hand, was thinking too much, such as using the opportunity to stall for time, and then still having to find a way to defeat Orochimaru and bring him back to Konoha...
Manda lowered its head, looking at the little ant below, and said in a booming voice, "This is the little brat Orochimaru wants, right? Sneaking a bite shouldn't be a problem..."
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Uchiha Itachi didn't hesitate, flipping his hands to form seals and spewing out a giant fireball!
The fireball was like a firework in front of Manda. Even if it exploded on its body, it would only leave a black spot... The damage was minimal.
"Hey, a little brat like you, shouldn't you just obediently let me eat you?" The snake's head suddenly slammed down towards the ground...
Uchiha Itachi looked up, a sense of powerlessness rising in his heart. He didn't hesitate to form seals again, "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
He couldn't retreat, because behind him was a group of children who couldn't escape in time...
But in front of him was Manda's gaping maw...
The dragon-shaped flames rushed towards Manda!
The giant snake head swerved with lightning speed to dodge. This kind of ninjutsu had too low a hit rate against Manda; it didn't want to get injured... Life in Ryuchi Cave wasn't that easy!
"Hiss..."
"Sharingan: Release! Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
The three-tomoe Sharingan activated. The enhanced genjutsu halted Manda's movements. Uchiha Itachi's mood gradually relaxed... And this amount of time was enough for those children to run a safe distance...
Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique was one of the most commonly used Sharingan genjutsu. It utilized the moment the opponent looked directly into the Sharingan to manipulate their mental energy, making the enemy feel as if they were bound by stakes.
But, how long could it last?
The power of a three-tomoe Sharingan should be able to hold for some time, right?
Kitahara flew up from Uchiha Itachi's shoulder, a Tailed Beast Bomb condensing in its beak, and shot it towards Manda's head...
The giant snake head violently dodged. Watching the Tailed Beast Bomb blow off a section of a mountain peak, the leader of Ryuchi Cave's snake clan hissed in fright, "Hiss! This crow!"
"Caw..."
Kitahara, however, didn't look at it, only glancing at Uchiha Itachi, who was panting heavily on the ground... This duration is a bit too short!
Uchiha Itachi's progress was too fast...
Or rather, his age was too young. Even if his chakra amount and Sharingan growth were perfect, it was clearly unlikely for him to suddenly go from shuriken throwing to mastering ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.
Honestly, being able to use genjutsu was already quite good... It was just that after succeeding, he hadn't completely grasped the opponent's mental energy movements.
"Hey! Sharingan brat!" After breaking free from the Sharingan's control and then perilously dodging the Tailed Beast Bomb's attack, Manda looked down at them and said in a low voice, "Give me that crow, and I'll let you leave!"
Kitahara: "..."
One after another, why do they all like to pull this kind of stunt!
Orochimaru wanted to keep Itachi, so he sent out his summoned beast. As a result, his summoned beast wanted Itachi's crow, and so decided to negotiate... Truly birds of a feather!
Responding to Manda was Uchiha Itachi's firm shake of the head, "Absolutely impossible!"
The giant snake head slowly lowered, getting closer and closer to Uchiha Itachi. Manda hissed, "It is not a treasure you can possess!"
As a member of Ryuchi Cave, Manda's focused perception was also outstanding, far surpassing that of ninjas who used chakra sensing techniques.
It could clearly sense Kitahara's peculiarity!
Whether it was the crow's chakra or its special body, both made Manda drool with desire... If it ate it, perhaps it could become the next White Snake Sage!
"Kitahara, let's continue!" Uchiha Itachi ignored Manda. He certainly knew how precious Kitahara was; at the very least, the atmosphere at home had become much livelier...
Seeing that Kitahara's unique technique had a remarkable effect, Uchiha Itachi saw hope of defeating Manda. As long as he could control Manda's movements, it might be possible to kill it in one blow.
Tailed Beast Bombs condensed in the crow's beak again, one after another being nimbly dodged by Manda's movements. The battlefield gradually became scarred...
"Truly envious... Clearly possessing immense power, yet only able to use it crudely..." Manda didn't dare look at Uchiha Itachi anymore, tightly closing its eyes, relying on its own perception to dodge another of Kitahara's attacks.
Kitahara looked down at Itachi, "Caw!"
It wanted the cub to take those brats and hide further away... Its crudeness wasn't something Manda could comment on. At the very least, it would have to be someone at the White Snake Sage's level!
The crow flew high up, and its vast chakra also began to gather...
(End of this chapter)