The scumbag wasn't a fast runner. He was just an ordinary person, and in a day's time, he couldn't have gotten very far, at least not for Hibari and Orochimaru.
Hibari was holding the man by his collar, almost choking him, and was rushing toward the village at an incredible speed.
If nothing went wrong, Manda was coming for his meal today. If he didn't make it in time and couldn't find any useful clues, he might have to wait another week. Hibari didn't have that kind of patience.
Similarly, the scumbag was also mentally cursing a thousand times. He had been chosen as the sacrifice, and after much deliberation, he had finally escaped that damn village under the cover of night, saving his life. But what did he get? He was being dragged back. This was ridiculous!
However, his mind was also quite "wicked." He had at least saved his life. Based on their tone, the two seemed to be looking for the Ryūchi Cave and Manda.
Maybe there was still a chance. And even if they were eaten by Manda, they were the ones he had "brought" back! His spot as a sacrifice would be filled! He could live a little longer.
As Hibari and Orochimaru were hurrying toward the village with the scumbag, they suddenly heard a noise and stopped in their tracks.
Hibari threw the man aside and said softly, "Oh, ho, ho... I guess we don't have to run anymore."
Orochimaru looked at a hot and humid forest not far away and gulped. The next second, a giant, purple snake that almost blocked out the sky suddenly emerged from the forest. It looked at Hibari, Orochimaru, and the terrified man with its cold, vertical pupils, as if they were a delicious meal.
Hibari and Orochimaru didn't move, but the scumbag yelled out in horror when he saw the purple serpent, "Manda!!!"
Then, as if he had seen a ghost, he scrambled to his feet, terrified, and tried to run.
But before he could get even two hundred meters, Manda twisted his body and lunged forward with his head, catching up to him at an incredible speed and swallowing the man in three gulps.
Then Manda coiled his massive body into a circle, trapping Hibari and Orochimaru in the middle. He raised his enormous head, looked at them, and finally spoke.
"I'm really lucky today. I haven't even gotten to my meal spot yet, and I've already found three little appetizers? Now, begin... Wail, fear, scream. The more you do, the more it will whet my appetite. Your fear is the best side dish..." Manda said with a wicked sense of humor, staring at them with his cold, vertical pupils and flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth.
Orochimaru didn't say anything but looked at Hibari. Hibari nodded to him, signaling him not to do anything for now. He then looked at Manda and said, "Manda, I have been looking for you for a long time. To be precise, I have been looking for the Ryūchi Cave and the White Snake Sage for a long time. I'm overjoyed to meet you today..."
Manda, who was about to begin his meal, was stunned when he heard Hibari's words. He lowered his head, carefully examined Hibari and Orochimaru, and retracted his tongue a little. He seemed to sense something. He said in a low voice, "I see. You two are shinobi, aren't you? All the better. I love eating shinobi..."
Manda had lived in the Ryūchi Cave for a long time and had seen people like Hibari and Orochimaru looking for it before. But so far, he had not seen anyone succeed.
Even if they found the Ryūchi Cave, they would not leave it alive. So he didn't take Hibari and Orochimaru seriously, thinking they were just looking for death.
Dying in the cave or being eaten by him here would have the same outcome. It would be better to be eaten by him now.
Hearing Manda's words, Hibari sighed and said, "If possible, I hope you can be a little more polite and respectful to us. It's very likely that in a little while, you'll become our summon. I don't want my relationship with my little pet to be so tense..."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile when he heard Hibari's words. He clearly agreed. But when Manda heard what Hibari said, his already cold, vertical pupils suddenly contracted. He flicked his tongue and said in a cruel, cold voice, "Kid, you sound very confident... Good. If you think you have the strength to play with me, I, Manda, don't mind playing along."
Hibari was first stunned when he heard Manda's words. They sounded so familiar. Then he suddenly had a moment of realization and said, "Ryōshin? Is that you?" [TN: An actor I think, who acts similar. Idk.]
Manda was also confused by Hibari's sudden remark. He tilted his massive head in confusion. Before he could say anything, Hibari suddenly smiled and said, "What a coincidence. I, Hibari, also love to fight those who think they are special..."
Manda couldn't hear the subtle sarcasm. Instead, he slowly raised his body, lifting his giant head, and looked at Hibari with a powerful sense of pressure. His tone was full of disdain and a hint of a smile. He said, "Interesting. It's been a long time since I've met someone who dares to talk to me like that. As a reward, I will swallow you whole and won't let you feel too much pain."
Hearing Manda's words, Hibari slowly placed his hand on the tachi at his waist. Orochimaru, who was next to him, also tilted his head and looked at Hibari.
The next second, Manda made the first move. His giant head slammed down, intending to crush Hibari and Orochimaru like two insignificant bugs.
Orochimaru didn't hesitate. He knew he was no match for such a huge creature right now, so he could only flee. But based on Hibari's arrogant and cool-sounding words, he seemed to not take this monstrous Manda seriously at all... So Orochimaru knew his job was simple: don't be a burden to your aniki. Just run as far as you can.
So, the moment Manda moved, Orochimaru used the Body Flicker Technique to get away. He used it a few more times in succession to create a long distance, hiding in the forest before finally stopping.
In contrast, Hibari was completely unfazed. Just as Manda's head was about to hit, the chakra in his body suddenly surged, and a giant skeletal samurai, like the Susanoo of the Uchiha clan, quickly grew out of the ground. It protected Hibari inside its skeletal chest and held a huge bone sword, instantly blocking Manda's head.
Manda's head crashed into the skeleton, shattering it into pieces. He then said with interest, "Shikotsumyaku? Are you from the Kaguya clan?"
Hibari's skeletal samurai was created out of interest, mimicking the Uchiha clan's Susanoo. It was actually meaningless and didn't have the functions of a Susanoo; it was just for show.
But being able to withstand Manda's head-butt was enough. Hibari was just using it to show off. From inside the skeletal chest, Hibari slowly drew the tachi Ame no Murakumo from his waist.
As soon as the Ame no Murakumo was unsheathed, a sharp aura emanated from it. For some reason, Manda suddenly felt a sense of threat, as if he had instinctively met his natural enemy.
Just then, Hibari spoke.
"This tachi is called the Ame no Murakumo. It is a divine blade that a samurai from the Land of Iron used to slay the Yamata no Orochi four hundred years ago. If I'm not mistaken, the Yamata no Orochi also came from the Ryūchi Cave, didn't it? I wonder if you, Manda, are interested in experiencing what the Yamata no Orochi felt back then?" Hibari looked up at Manda, a wicked smile on his face.
Hearing Hibari's words, Manda's vertical pupils contracted, and he roared in anger, "Ame no Murakumo!!! You are going to die now, kid!"
As he said that, he opened his mouth, and two streams of purple venom shot out from his fangs. Hibari didn't even have to touch it. He knew just by looking at it that this wasn't something to be messed with. It was better to avoid it.
"One last thing to correct you. I'm not a fool from the Kaguya clan. I am the eagle of the Senju clan. Wood Release: Wood Spikes Wall!" Hibari said while making a hand sign.
Before the venom could fall and poison him, a wall of wood quickly grew from the ground, blocking the venom.
Manda was very surprised by this sight. This kid could use both the Shikotsumyaku and the incredibly rare Wood Release kekkei genkai. He had lived for so many years and had never seen anything like it.
But before he could be too surprised, he saw Hibari slash through the wood wall with his sword and fly toward his head with the Ame no Murakumo.
"Die, you brat!" Manda's movements were also very fast. He shook his head, raised his tail, and slammed it toward Hibari from behind, wanting to swat him out of the air like a fly.
But Hibari was not flustered at all. As Manda's huge tail swung toward him, Hibari tightened his grip on the Ame no Murakumo. Just as the tail was about to hit, Hibari raised his arm and stabbed the sword into a gap in Manda's scales. He didn't use any force, instead using the force of Manda's tail to deflect the impact.
Then he used force, pulling the sword downward, prying up one of Manda's scales and cutting it clean off.
Suddenly, a large amount of blood gushed out of Manda's wound. Even Manda himself let out a painful roar.
"What a great sword. Cutting you is like cutting butter..." Hibari said with a satisfied laugh.
Manda swung his tail fiercely. Hibari didn't stay there to fight him, pulling the Ame no Murakumo out of his flesh and landing back on the ground.
"Manda, if you don't want me to slice you up and turn you into snake soup, you will obediently take me to the Ryūchi Cave. That was just a greeting. If you don't show me some respect, when I get serious... even I get scared..." Hibari said with a slight smile on his face, flicking the blood off the Ame no Murakumo.
Manda, who had just suffered a bloody defeat, was in a berserk state. He paid no mind to Hibari's words and only wanted to kill this damn brat. He twisted his body and slammed down on Hibari.
Hibari didn't think much of Manda. Among the three Sannin's summons, this guy was the most arrogant, but he never did anything impressive. He was either beaten or used as a substitute. Gamabunta could at least use ninjutsu, and Katsuyu could use healing medical ninjutsu.
Manda seemed to have no impressive abilities other than his arrogance, size, and bad temper. So Hibari didn't think much of him.
But if he signed a summoning contract with the Ryūchi Cave, he could occasionally summon Manda to play with. At the very least, he could use him to save his life, like Sasuke.
Therefore, Hibari had no intention of killing Manda right here. After all, he needed Manda to take him to the Ryūchi Cave.
So, when Manda came crashing down, Hibari almost stabbed him through with a bone but held back. He took a deep breath and said to himself, "It seems I have to teach you a lesson, or you'll think you're a big shot."
As soon as he said that, Lightning Release chakra erupted from Hibari's body, and the chakra flowed into his arm. This was the prelude to the secret jutsu of the Senju clan that had been passed down for generations.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon!" Hibari roared, punching Manda as he fell.
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