The Snake Man was very sure of what he said, acting like he was telling the complete truth, which made Orochimaru unsure whether to believe him.
But even if the Snake Man was right, and those three could help him a bit, they probably wouldn't openly go against the will of the White Snake Sage and give away secret skills from the Ryuuchi Cave.
This thing he was doing was just something simple and quick. If he really wanted to understand Sage Mode quickly, he would still need to find a way to get the White Snake Sage's support.
Orochimaru licked his lips and walked casually through the complicated underground tunnels, but he was taking a shortcut straight to where Manda was.
Before long, he arrived at a wide underground cave.
Here, stone pillars stood tall, and countless huge snakes wrapped around them. The giant snakes hissed, giving off a scary vibe.
Manda was resting on the biggest stone pillar in the center of the cave, surrounded and protected by the other snakes, like a snake king.
Using the image the Snake Man sent, Orochimaru could clearly see Manda's current condition.
Its belly, which had been puffed up high, was back to normal. The two wild pigs it had eaten half a day ago had been digested, and there was no sign of them from the outside.
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
As Orochimaru entered the cave, several giant snakes that had been sleeping with their eyes closed reacted. One of them, with a huge body, quickly swam up to Orochimaru.
It lowered its head and lifted Orochimaru up.
Orochimaru looked at the scars on the snake's body and recognized it as one of the two snake summons that had survived the battle against Kumogakure. The mark of their blood contract allowed it to sense him.
"Good, I like obedient kids. You'll definitely get something good later."
Orochimaru sat on top of the giant snake's head, touched the scars that had already formed scabs, and said with a smile, "Take me to Manda."
The giant snake obediently hissed and moved its body, swimming back and forth between the giant pillars, with the other snakes avoiding it.
This was because of Orochimaru's superior presence and also because they were afraid of the giant snake he was on.
Although it was a level below Manda, there were only a few snakes in the cave that could compare to it.
"Orochimaru, I didn't think you'd really come."
Manda opened its eyes and looked down at the top of the snake, coldly saying, "The offering I was promised, hurry up and bring it to me."
Being in Ryuuchi Cave made Manda, already arrogant, seem even more bossy.
Orochimaru smiled, not taking it seriously. He summoned a huge scroll, raised his hand, and pressed it on a seal, undoing it.
Instantly, a giant wild pig, over 20 meters long, appeared out of nowhere and fell from the air, landing on the ground with a 'thump.'
This wasn't very noticeable in the cave, but the smell of fresh blood, different from that of cold-blooded creatures, spread out, and the snakes seemed to be stimulated by something. They began to hiss one after another, slowly gathering toward the pillar where Manda was.
"Hiss!"
Manda raised its head and hissed at the surroundings, suppressing the noise in the cave with a roar. Then, it turned its attention to the wild pig.
Its snake eyes, glowing in the dark, clearly showed satisfaction and greed. "Good, you're much more sensible than before."
As it said this, it moved like lightning from the pillar toward the wild pig before Orochimaru could make any requests. It opened its mouth wide and started to bite and swallow.
"Tsk tsk... you're still as shameless as ever, Manda. But, hurry up and eat. Consider it my treat."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, a strange look in his eyes. He suddenly turned around and threw another, smaller wild pig out of the scroll.
"You guys get some too, but there's only one. Only the strongest snake can enjoy it..."
The cave was silent for a moment, then it became noisy again, even louder than before.
All the giant snakes were driven by greed and began to gather toward the wild pig. A fight broke out instantly, even more intense than usual.
After all, this wasn't just a casual game; it was for the delicious food on the ground.
Even the giant snake beneath Orochimaru, the one with the wounds, became restless. If Orochimaru hadn't stopped it, it probably would have joined the fight as well.
"Orochimaru, you bastard, all of this should be mine!"
Manda said, swallowing the wild pig, its voice unclear, showing dissatisfaction and anger.
The wild pig it was getting for free from Orochimaru suddenly didn't taste as good when it found out that the other giant snakes were getting some too.
But since the pig was already in its mouth, Manda wouldn't spit it out and go stop the other snakes, as it might lose both.
It wasn't like those stupid snakes. The most important thing was to quickly swallow the wild pig before they finished fighting.
Orochimaru glanced at Manda, who was swallowing faster, and a smile appeared on his lips. He looked around at the fighting snakes and quickly picked out a suitable target.
"Good, this wild pig is yours."
The gray giant snake was fighting with the other snakes. When it heard this, its narrow snake eyes showed human-like surprise. It moved its body and tried to break free from their grip.
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
The snakes hissed, some at the gray giant snake, and others at Orochimaru, expressing their dissatisfaction.
"Hmm!?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, and his chakra burst out, spreading an immense aura of coldness and suppressed power.
The hissing in the cave stopped instantly. They had just remembered that this was the snake master above Manda, and driven by instinct, the snakes slowly backed away.
One giant snake covered in scars stayed where it was, refusing to leave. This was the other giant snake that had survived the battle against Kumogakure.
It licked its wounds, its snake eyes on Orochimaru, showing a hint of sadness.
The chosen gray giant snake gave a joyful cry and pounced on the small wild pig, excitedly swallowing the bloody food from the ground.
This process didn't take long.
Because this wild pig was smaller, the gray giant snake swallowed it before Manda, and its once thick belly looked very round.
The gray giant snake showed a human-like satisfied expression. Its huge body lazily curled up into a ball, and it slightly contracted its stomach, speeding up the digestion process.
Orochimaru looked at the gray giant snake, which was only focused on enjoying its food, and a strange smile appeared on his lips.
Once Manda had also swallowed the wild pig, Orochimaru made hand signs and detonated the vials hidden inside both wild pigs. The organs and flesh of the wild pigs began to dissolve.
Manda was the first to realize that something was wrong. It angrily glared at Orochimaru. "You bastard, what did you do to me?"
"Tsk tsk... I just thought you seemed to be having a hard time digesting, so I'm helping you out."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Don't worry, I'm always careful with the amount. It won't hurt your delicate stomach."
"You bastard, I don't need your help."
Manda roared and charged toward Orochimaru, but soon fell halfway, its voice becoming weak and helpless. "What is this..."
"Just some little things that will allow me to do whatever I want to you."
Orochimaru said with a smile, turning his attention to the gray giant snake.
It was in even worse shape than Manda. Its belly was turned over, its tongue was halfway out, and it was completely limp on the ground, unable to struggle at all.
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