Uchiha Ran didn't sleep at all.
A man who prided himself on being a central air conditioner, warming every girl—young women, married women, big sisters, little sisters alike—had actually lost sleep.
And all because of that flash of snowy white.
…How lame.
Ran couldn't help but mock himself internally.
Putting aside last night's heart-stopping incident, today was supposed to be another relaxed and pleasant day.
Early in the morning, Orochimaru-sensei—clearly very interested in his newly accepted disciple—called Ran and Mitarashi Anko together and headed straight for the Forest of Death.
To Orochimaru, although both were his disciples, Ran and Anko were fundamentally different.
Ran was a member of Konoha's greatest clan, the Uchiha. He possessed the highly coveted three-tomoe Sharingan, and his strength was already outstanding. To Orochimaru, Ran was not just a disciple, but closer to a collaborator—someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
In the laboratory, they could discuss research together, debate theories, and jointly explore the unknown.
Compared to Ran, Anko was still far more innocent.
She hadn't been tempered by darkness, nor had she experienced life-and-death separation. Her understanding of the world—and of ninjutsu—was still shallow and incomplete.
Even so, that didn't stop her from loving snake techniques.
In fact, her fondness for snakes seemed almost innate. Every time she interacted with them, her joy and excitement were unmistakable.
Mitarashi Anko was a worthy inheritor of snake techniques.
"So… Orochimaru-sensei, did you bring me here just to watch you train her in snake techniques?"
Ran looked utterly baffled.
He really wasn't interested.
"No," Orochimaru replied calmly. "You and Anko are different. She's here to learn snake techniques. You're here to learn summoning."
As he spoke, Orochimaru opened his mouth and calmly pulled out a scroll.
"…Summoning? Snake summoning?" Ran frowned slightly, already knowing the answer.
"Ran-kun, you may not know this," Orochimaru said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of reverence.
"In this world, there are three sacred training grounds: Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave. Each is ruled by an immortal sage."
"So?" Ran asked.
"You're a smart child," Orochimaru continued. "In the shinobi world, only these three places allow one to learn Sage Mode."
Seeing Ran's interest spark, Orochimaru went on,
"You're an Uchiha, with the Sharingan. The senjutsu of Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest don't suit you. The one most compatible with you… is Ryūchi Cave."
"Sage techniques? And this is related to summoning?" Ran asked.
"To learn the senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave, you must first have the qualification to summon its creatures. Second, you must have sufficient talent."
At this point, Anko couldn't help but raise her hand.
"Orochimaru-sensei, can I learn summoning too? What exactly is summoning?"
"Summoning," Orochimaru said with a smile, gently patting her head, "is using your chakra to call forth your contracted creatures to fight alongside you."
Anko visibly enjoyed the touch. In her memories, her father had never treated her this gently.
"Orochimaru-sensei, do you know the sages of Ryūchi Cave?" she asked curiously.
"Of course I do," Orochimaru replied with a soft, amused smile.
Was this really Orochimaru?
In most people's impressions, Orochimaru was always cold and terrifying in front of outsiders.
But perhaps this was the real him.
Perhaps he was never truly cold—maybe his heart still held warmth.
At least, in Anko's eyes, aside from yesterday's test, her teacher had always been gentle.
"Anko," Orochimaru asked, "do you want to learn summoning?"
"I'll do whatever Sensei wants me to learn!" she replied without hesitation.
"How obedient," Orochimaru chuckled.
"When you're older, I'll teach you summoning. For now, your chakra reserves are too small."
Meanwhile, Ran accepted the scroll from Orochimaru.
"…This is disgusting."
The scroll was damp and slippery.
"A scroll that came out of someone's mouth—how is anyone supposed to handle this?"
Suppressing his discomfort, Ran opened the summoning scroll and signed his name beneath Orochimaru's.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Following Orochimaru's instructions, Ran formed hand seals rapidly and slammed his palm into the ground.
A massive black summoning array spread across the earth.
"…This feeling—!"
Orochimaru's expression changed instantly. He grabbed Anko, used Shunshin, and retreated.
BOOM!
A colossal snake erupted from the ground beneath Ran's feet.
"Manda again, huh. This guy is always eager whenever someone summons," Orochimaru remarked calmly from a distance.
"Manda" glared down with massive, predatory eyes.
"Orochimaru—are the fifty human sacrifices ready?!"
Its voice was arrogant and feral.
"I'm Lord Orochimaru's disciple," Ran said coldly from atop Manda's head.
"You beast—what's your name?"
Manda flew into a rage.
How dare a mere human speak to him like that?!
If it were the White Snake Sage or the three great Snake Princesses, fine—but this brat hadn't even offered tribute!
With a violent jerk, Manda flung his head upward, hurling Ran into the sky.
"I'll teach this little brat a lesson. Summoning Lord Manda comes at a steep price. If there's no benefit, why should I answer the call?!"
But as Ran spun through the air—
Manda saw them.
Those eyes.
Scarlet.
Three tomoe.
"…An Uchiha?! A cursed Uchiha?!"
The moment he saw the Sharingan, Manda knew something was wrong.
This was bad. Very bad.
Long accustomed to Ryūchi Cave, Manda knew all too well—once caught by the Sharingan, resistance was meaningless.
And yet… he had fallen into it so easily?
No—this despicable Uchiha had only said he was Orochimaru's disciple. He never said he was an Uchiha!
Ran landed once more atop Manda's head, calmly looking down at the now completely rigid giant serpent.
Then he spoke softly:
"Esteemed snake from Ryūchi Cave… for the sake of your reputation,
you wouldn't want to suddenly lose two very important parts of your body… right?"
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