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Garaga was a massive, one-eyed serpent whose eye had been injured by the very human who once formed a contract with him.
Therefore, his strange and volatile temper was understandable. Moreover, since the one who harmed him was a former comrade-in-arms, his hatred for humans far exceeded any animosity towards his own kind.
It was highly unlikely Garaga would give him a chance to negotiate.
Could they avoid making a "deal" with the Great White Snake Sage?
Probably not.
The reason was simple: not only did Jūgo need the Sage's guidance, but Midorima himself also wanted to know how to use the Cell Laboratory to enhance his method of controlling Sage chakra.
"Lord Midorima, why is there such a deep trench in this cave?" Jūgo asked, walking along a trench at least one person's depth. He was puzzled.
This trench seemed to run through all the branching passages of the cavern, its width varying between two to three meters. Looking closer, clear sliding marks were visible within the trench, as if something massive had slid through it repeatedly.
"This…" Midorima crouched down and felt the soil within the trench. It was packed solid, likely compacted by something heavy over time. "These are probably the marks left by Garaga sliding through here."
Jūgo was startled and quickly looked around. "You mean that serpent, Garaga, is three meters wide?"
"Probably more than that," Midorima shook his head. "This might just be the trail it leaves when passing through the cavern; its body might not even sink into the soil. Garaga's true size is likely far larger."
Jūgo's eyebrow twitched. "Lord Midorima, I feel… this is a bit difficult."
Such a monster was simply beyond what normal people could contend with.
"Are you scared?" Midorima asked.
"Scared, not exactly…" Jūgo shook his head. "This should be my burden, but I've dragged you into it…"
"You don't actually think I'm weaker than you, do you?" Midorima patted Jūgo's shoulder, then added, "But being careful is never wrong. You heard what Tagitsuhime said, right? Garaga was betrayed by a human, so he harbors deep hatred for them. And as humans, we're obviously on his list of targets… Garaga won't be easy to talk to. We need to consider this mission's difficulty even higher."
Jūgo took a deep breath. "I understand."
In this unfamiliar environment, especially with cavern branches all around where Garaga could strike at any moment, both men instinctively heightened their vigilance. However, even after traversing the serpent's cavern, they hadn't caught a single glimpse of Garaga himself.
Midorima and Jūgo didn't dare lower their guard.
An attack from a serpent of Garaga's size was something they could hardly withstand.
Mist had also begun to gather in the air, unnoticed. Though not thick, it still reduced visibility.
Jūgo focused intently, his eyes continuously scanning ahead. All he saw were trees and undergrowth. After walking for an indeterminate time, they finally came upon a stone statue.
"A serpent statue?" Jūgo looked up at the large snake statue, slightly surprised.
"Not just this one," Midorima took a deep breath. One after another, large serpent statues appeared around them. "Perhaps Garaga has an ability to petrify objects that come near him… probably through saliva or something similar?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Midorima heard a faint, sliding sound from around them. He immediately pushed Jūgo aside while dodging to the other side himself. At that moment, a massive, muscular serpent tail descended from above, slamming into the ground.
A tremendous boom echoed through the air, and the earth trembled. When the tail lifted, a massive fissure marked the spot where it had struck.
Midorima inhaled sharply.
He had never fought a summoning beast before. After all, they weren't on the same level in terms of raw power; defeating them would be extremely difficult.
As for Garaga, he was a creature that even the Great White Snake Sage found troublesome. Even if he wasn't as strong as Manda, the difference likely wasn't vast—in fact, the two serpents had never fought. Who was stronger was truly hard to say.
A colossal crimson serpent dragged its immense body, encircling the two.
Midorima looked up at Garaga's body, which towered higher than a wall, and brought his hands together, ready to perform ninjutsu at any moment.
Garaga didn't attack immediately. Instead, he turned his head to face Midorima directly, then stopped moving. His sharp eye, filled with a bloodthirsty desire, locked onto them. Meeting its gaze, one could clearly sense the towering rage within. His other eye remained tightly shut.
"Treacherous humans, why have you come here?" Garaga opened his mouth, his crimson forked tongue flicking out.
"We came to negotiate with you."
"What is there to negotiate… with you?" Garaga roared. "I will not trust humans! You are all vile, deceitful creatures!"
"I was once a medical-nin and have some confidence in my skills. I'll heal your eye, and in return, you become my summoning beast. How about that deal?" Midorima said with a smile.
Jūgo looked at Midorima in astonishment.
Taming this behemoth as a summon? How is that possible!? And healing the eye of such a massive serpent is hardly realistic…
He wasn't optimistic.
"Hah… heal my eye? A summoning beast? Human, your cunning has never changed! Do you think I would believe you?" Garaga snarled. "Heal my eye? Sure, truly healing it is one thing. But merely injecting some minor medical ninjutsu into my body can also be called 'healing.' Don't look at me like I'm some naïve fool. I may not be human, but in matters of trustworthiness, I far surpass you humans. You only know how to talk, then try to deceive me. How could such a 'good deal' exist?"
"You're right, I can't guarantee I can heal you. To be honest, the chance of a successful cure is less than one in ten. But I don't think you'd negotiate with me in good faith either. Moreover, even if you agreed right now, I wouldn't accept. I need a partner I can trust with my back, not an arrogant serpent who thinks itself superior. So, this fight between us is unavoidable!" Midorima stared directly at Garaga.
"You think I'd agree to form a contract with you? I wouldn't!" Garaga opened his mouth wide, and a glob of liquid shot from it.
"Watch out! Don't let that liquid touch you!" Midorima yelled a warning to Jūgo. While dodging the serpent's attack, he formed hand seals. An earthen dragon suddenly erupted from the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Garaga swung his tail, colliding with the earthen dragon projectile. As Midorima prepared another ninjutsu, Garaga was already upon him, jaws gaping wide as he lunged to bite.
Jūgo, seeing Midorima locked in combat with Garaga, was amazed by his strength. However, given the immense disparity in size and power, prolonged engagement would inevitably put Midorima at a disadvantage.
The earlier "Earth Dragon Bullet" was proof; ordinary ninjutsu couldn't breach Garaga's defenses. Conversely, a single strike from Garaga could leave Midorima unable to stand again.
Another frightening aspect of Garaga was that despite his colossal size, his speed was not slow at all. For Midorima to rely on speed to maneuver around him wouldn't be easy either.
Seeing all of Garaga's attention focused on Midorima, Jūgo clenched his fists. He quickly moved alongside the serpent and unleashed a powerful punch against its tail.
*****
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