The slightly breathless Orochimaru instantly recognized the power hidden within this water dragon and felt an even greater sense of impending danger. He stood his ground, vigilant, yet his expression remained as placid as water. In that instant, his dark-golden eyes surged with limitless excitement and boldness!
Seeing Orochimaru facing such peril, the hearts of the Konoha Chūnin involuntarily leaped into their throats.
Sarutobi and the Konoha Jōnin, enraged by Hanzō's sudden intervention, were all ready to launch Ninjutsu to intercept the fiercely charging deep-blue water dragon!
It was precisely at this moment, under the terrifying pressure of the massive water dragon, that the astonishing killing intent Orochimaru had previously released intensified again, climbing another notch, barely managing to hold back the dragon's overwhelming pressure.
Orochimaru gazed up at the water dragon. His small body looked like an ant before the monstrous creature, yet he straightened his back, holding his proud, resilient spirit as straight as a sturdy pine tree rooted in stone.
The remaining chakra in his body churned violently like boiling water, gathering in his hands. He bit a small cut into his right thumb with his teeth, then slashed it across the strange serpentine tattoo on his left forearm. One after another, mysterious and complex hand seals were rapidly woven, like a flurry of butterflies.
A-O-O-H!—
The water dragon roared furiously as it soared skyward and then rapidly plunged toward Orochimaru to devour him.
In a fraction of a second, Orochimaru finished the hand seals. The aura surrounding his entire body suddenly condensed, then sharply exploded. He slammed his left hand—which had just finished the seals—heavily onto the clear river surface.
Slap!—
A Summoning Formula several times larger than the previous one appeared!
The profound, ink-black, tadpole-like formula lines rapidly snaked and emerged from the turquoise water, spreading out from Orochimaru's palm like creeping ivy.
Summoning Jutsu: Manda Descends!
Poof!—
A sky-concealing cloud of white smoke billowed out from the summoning formula. Manda's ferocious snake head, the size of a small hill and sporting four sharp, sword-like horns, emerged. It held Orochimaru on its head. Its emerald snake eyes, glowing with cold, sinister, bloodthirsty malice under the golden sunlight, roared at the heavens, letting out its first angry bellow upon arriving in this world: "HISS!—"
The surging sound wave shattered the remaining aura of pressure the water dragon had exerted on Orochimaru.
Manda's enormous body, like a skyscraper, coiled on the river surface, literally cutting the entire river into two.
At Orochimaru's signal, Manda's thick body writhed rapidly. Its massive, mottled tail, thick enough for dozens of people to embrace, swept through the air with a muffled, sharp "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!—" sound, striking viciously toward the deep-blue water dragon.
Hanzō's pupils dilated with astonishment when he saw the terrifying Manda summoned by Orochimaru, but his hands did not slow down. Under his control, the diving water dragon quickly changed direction, its enormous, savage head lunging to bite the striking snake tail.
BOOM!—
A dull, heart-stifling, tremendous crash suddenly erupted from the point of collision, rippling out and shaking the spirits of everyone on both banks.
The water dragon was struck by Manda's mottled, massive tail. It was instantly pulverized and disintegrated from head to tail by the sheer force. Under the bright golden sunlight, it sprayed countless shimmering, multi-colored water droplets and splashes of all sizes, which shot out like bullets in every direction. It was as if a sudden downpour had started on the flat ground, soaking Hanzō's group of ninjas and chilling them to the core.
Although Manda shattered the water dragon, it was, after all, an ultimate Water Release Ninjutsu unleashed by a Kage-level master. In that moment of pure force-on-force confrontation, the immense water pressure inside the deep-blue dragon heavily impacted Manda's tail. A section of its scales was cracked, and trickles of dark-purple snake blood flowed out.
Orochimaru, even though he shared the burden of the summoning with Manda, had his remaining chakra completely drained. He was utterly exhausted, panting heavily. He struggled to stand atop Manda's head, directing the serpent to attack again.
To the astonishment of the onlookers, after Manda crushed the water dragon unleashed by Hanzō, its massive body shot skyward. It opened its cavernous mouth, armed with four razor-sharp fangs, and swallowed the last terrified Amegakure ninja, sending him into the rolling, highly corrosive venom in its throat.
With the battle settled, Orochimaru collapsed onto Manda's head. As he panted violently, his dark-golden snake eyes remained vigilantly fixed on Hanzō across the river, ready to order Manda to defend against any further attack.
Manda's emerald snake eyes followed Orochimaru's gaze, looking down at Hanzō. Its vast, abyssal killing intent surged forward without restraint.
Hanzō looked at Manda's massive body, which nearly blocked out the sun, and a flicker of unnoticeable defeat crossed his eyes.
Sarutobi and the other Konoha ninjas were amazed by the terrifying Manda summoned by Orochimaru. Their eyes held disbelief and incredulity: An Elite Chūnin actually withstood a blow from a Kage-level master.
Sarutobi leaped several times, landing on Manda's massive head. He approached the utterly exhausted Orochimaru, observing his promising disciple with concern.
Manda keenly sensed the presence of an outsider on its head and immediately became furious, hissing and roaring: "Bold whelp! How dare you stand on Lord Manda's head! I will eat you!"
Before Manda could act, Sarutobi surged his chakra and stomped heavily on Manda's head with his right foot. The might of the Kage-level master forcefully jarred Manda's head downward by several meters before it halted its descent.
Manda started to rage again, but Orochimaru patted its head. Manda instantly suppressed its fury, sulkingly shook its head to try and dislodge Sarutobi, though it knew the effort was futile.
Sarutobi had initially intended to use his power to intimidate the terrifying serpent on Orochimaru's behalf, believing the boy couldn't control it. He realized his worry was unnecessary, smiled slightly in resignation, and looked at Hanzō across the river.
Given the current situation, Hanzō had no choice but to concede to Sarutobi, saying meekly, "Mr. Sarutobi, my side, Amegakure, has lost."
Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief. Sarutobi laughed heartily: "Mr. Hanzō is indeed broad-minded, haha! It was merely a competition between subordinates. Let's not damage the peace between us."
With that, Sarutobi jumped down, landing cordially in front of Hanzō. Several Konoha Jōnin followed behind him. The ninjas from both sides entered the stronghold to discuss peace treaties and agreements.
Seeing the battle was over, Manda slowly lowered its body. Its hill-like head rested on the bank. Orochimaru slid down from Manda's head, landing on his feet, utterly exhausted.
Manda turned its emerald snake eyes to Orochimaru and said in a low, hoarse voice: "Little whelp, be careful not to die! Lord Manda is still relying on you for those sheep and cattle sacrifices!"
Orochimaru nodded. Manda vanished with a "Poof!—" turning into a cloud of smoke that dissipated into thin air.
After the terrifying Manda was gone, the Konoha Chūnin rushed forward, surrounding Orochimaru. They looked at him with concern and awe, helping him and asking him questions. The scene was lively and boisterous.
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