บท 112: Chapter 112: Summoning Manda? Does That Mean Orochimaru Is Leading?
"Nawaki, the captain went to stop the enemy. Shouldn't we go help him?" asked Shimura Suimoku, as he and the other two ran up to inquire.
Nawaki waved his hand dismissively, "Our mission is to keep moving. Takuya can handle it on his own; we just need to trust him."
Don't you trust Takuya's strength?
If Takuya faces something he can't handle, Snowy will step in, and the enemy will likely be left in despair.
"Minato, you scout ahead to prevent any other enemies from ambushing us. The rest of you, keep pushing the carts. We have to keep moving."
With Takuya gone, they didn't have a second Snowy to provide reconnaissance, so they had to rely on themselves.
"Leave it to me," Minato said, disappearing into the night.
This is so frustrating...
After completing countless missions, none had left them feeling so suffocated and helpless.
Shimura Suimoku and the others felt like they had a thousand complaints but didn't know where to direct them.
This situation—being neither here nor there, unable to control anything—left them feeling on edge.
In two words: utterly frustrating!
"Hurry up!" Masa urged his men, pushing them to speed up as they chased down the Leaf's supply convoy.
Takuya stopped halfway, waiting for them to arrive.
"Stop!!"
Suddenly, Masa raised his hand, signaling his team to halt.
The Sand Village shinobi following him all stopped as well, frowning in confusion as they gazed at Takuya, who was calmly waiting in the middle of the road.
Is this guy a Leaf shinobi?
Is he purposely waiting for us to catch up?
The pursuers had arrived.
But Takuya showed no intention of attacking.
He slowly raised his hands and began forming hand seals.
Are there ambushes waiting nearby?
This doesn't feel right.
For him to stand there so brazenly in the middle of the road, Takuya must have something up his sleeve.
Masa didn't believe the Leaf ninja was there to just throw his life away.
Seeing Takuya forming hand seals, Masa didn't dare to approach carelessly, so he watched as Takuya slowly completed his seals.
I even slowed down for you. Aren't you going to rush up and attack me?
How boring.
Shaking his head, Takuya pressed his palm against the muddy ground.
Boom!!
A burst of white smoke spread out, covering the roadside. In the dark night, a massive figure emerged.
"Master."
Already frightened by Snowy, Manda no longer dared to bare its fangs at Takuya. As soon as it was summoned, it obediently bowed its head and greeted him.
"Not bad," Takuya said, satisfied. He then pointed toward Masa and his men, saying to Manda, "I'm not sure if there are more enemies ahead, so I'll leave these guys to you. You can eat them, kill them—do as you please."
I can eat them?
Hearing this, Manda's eyes lit up.
Ever since Manda started working with Takuya, life hadn't been great. Orochimaru often summoned it for battle but never provided any sacrifices.
Whenever Manda demanded sacrifices, Orochimaru would mention Takuya, and Manda would immediately lose its temper.
After putting up with this for so long, Manda finally had a chance to feast and go on a rampage.
How could Manda not be excited?
"M-Manda!"
Masa stared at the massive snake in horror, his mind going blank.
A look of terror appeared on his face as he shouted, "It's Orochimaru! The elite Leaf jonin, Orochimaru!"
Although Orochimaru had not yet earned the title of one of the "Legendary Sannin," his reputation on the battlefield was already well-established. Many enemies had fallen by his hand.
Even Chiyo and Hanzō dared not underestimate the presence of Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.
Though Orochimaru's intimidation factor wasn't on the same level as Minato in the Third War, it was enough to strike fear into his enemies.
There's a vast difference between jonin level shinobi.
Orochimaru, who was between elite jonin and Kage level, would have little difficulty taking down an average jonin.
Everyone in the shinobi world knew that Manda was Orochimaru's summoning beast.
Seeing Manda, Masa panicked, mistaking Takuya for Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru must have abandoned the front lines to personally escort the supply convoy. This must mean Leaf is running out of supplies."
"We need to get this information back."
Masa's mind raced. He realized that he shouldn't stay and fight Orochimaru.
Not only did they lack the strength, but destroying a supply convoy was far less important than delivering urgent intelligence.
Moreover...
Roar!!
Seeing Manda open its huge mouth and drool as it looked at them, Masa felt a chill run down his spine.
Manda's power was no joke. This creature had turned many enemies into its snacks on the battlefield.
In terms of ferocity, neither Katsuyu nor Gamabunta could match Manda.
With Takuya's permission, Manda, who hadn't eaten well in a long time, roared and charged at Masa and his men.
Despite its massive size, Manda moved with astonishing speed.
In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance.
It wouldn't be long before it collided with Masa and his team.
"Retreat!!!"
Having confirmed that Leaf was running low on supplies and believing that the opponent was Orochimaru, what reason was there to hesitate?
Run!
If they didn't, they'd be waiting for death.
They were barely enough to fill Manda's stomach.
Even though Manda became less intimidating in the later stages of Naruto, during a time when battle power hadn't yet gone off the charts, Manda was even more terrifying than Orochimaru himself.
"Retreat! The Leaf jonin Orochimaru is personally escorting the supplies. We have to get this information back."
"I'll hold him off. The rest of you retreat immediately."
"Yes, Masa-sama."
The jonin leading the team stayed behind to cover their retreat, while the remaining Sand shinobi scattered.
"Snowy, what did that rooster-headed ninja say?"
Takuya watched as a flamboyant red-haired ninja, who looked like a rooster, shouted something before bravely trying to hold off Manda. Takuya tilted his head.
Snowy blinked its big, innocent eyes and said, "He seemed to be saying, 'Retreat! The Leaf jonin Orochimaru is personally escorting the supplies. We must get this intel back.'"
Takuya: "..."
So, just because I'm wearing a raincoat and summoned Manda, I'm Orochimaru?
Orochimaru personally escorting supplies...
This joke isn't funny at all...
The jonin leading the team clearly hadn't memorized Orochimaru's chakra signature. Otherwise, he would have recognized Takuya wasn't Orochimaru the moment Takuya used the summoning jutsu.
How did this guy's mind come up with this?
Wait a second...
Watching Masa flee in panic while being chased by Manda, Takuya's forehead creased with a line of black.
Is this guy really trying to hold the line?
Or is he just planning to be Manda's next meal?
Forget it; let Manda have its fun.
Takuya thought about it for a moment and decided not to interfere. The mission was more important, and he didn't want to risk failing it for no reason.
As for the so-called intel...
Does that even count as intel?
Are you just making excuses because you're afraid of dying?
Takuya left, while Manda continued to chase the Sand shinobi.
As for how many it managed to eat, only Manda would know.
"Captain!"
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Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 192+ at patreon.com/Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters!
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