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Compared to other summons, Mount Myōboku's Gamabunta was far more versatile.
He could even charge into battle wielding a massive sword dozens of meters long, slashing at enemies with overwhelming might.
"Uchiha brat, have you prepared the sacrifice for Lord Manda yet?"
Sasuke was well aware of what kind of summoned beast Manda was.
Orochimaru had told him everything about it.
And Sasuke still owed Manda a sacrifice that he hadn't delivered.
Unlike toads or slugs, Manda wasn't the type of summoned beast that appeared without demanding something in return. This was a bad habit Orochimaru had instilled in him.
Glancing at Manda, Sasuke quietly stepped behind Kazuki.
What came next was beyond his ability to handle.
Being able to summon Manda didn't mean he could control it or command it to fight for him.
"???"
What was that supposed to mean?
Seeing Sasuke completely ignore him, throwing a provocative glance before retreating behind Kazuki, Manda felt insulted.
Orochimaru stood to the side, a faint smile playing on his lips, saying nothing.
Manda felt like he was being toyed with.
"Damn Uchiha brat, do you know the consequences of angering me?"
Feeling mocked, Manda let out a thunderous roar, opening his massive jaws to reveal sharp, jagged fangs longer than a human body.
"And do you know the consequences of angering an Uchiha?"
Kazuki stared coldly at the arrogant serpent. Since when did a mere snake dare bare its fangs at an Uchiha?
"What did you say?"
Manda froze for a moment, then, after a few seconds, roared furiously and lunged toward Kazuki, jaws wide open.
He was determined to teach Kazuki a lesson.
"Step back."
Orochimaru pulled Sasuke away.
Since Kazuki was stepping in to handle this, he'd let him take care of it.
If he had the chance, Orochimaru himself would have liked to discipline Manda. But when he signed the summoning contract with Manda long ago, he had made certain promises, leaving him no choice but to tolerate Manda's reckless behavior.
Otherwise, with Orochimaru's strength, Manda would have been dead ten or eight times over by now.
"Ignorant creature."
Manda's massive body surged toward Kazuki, the three tomoe in Kazuki's eyes spinning slowly.
With unstoppable momentum, Manda charged forward, but just as he was about to collide with Kazuki, his enormous body gradually came to a halt.
His gigantic eyes now mirrored the same three-tomoe pattern.
"How bothersome."
Kazuki couldn't help but offer this blunt assessment.
Orochimaru, standing nearby, twitched at the corners of his mouth.
Sasuke's feelings were complicated, a pang of discomfort settling in his chest.
'Was Manda really that weak?'
Perhaps in the later stages, when power levels skyrocketed, Manda didn't get much chance to shine, but in the early and mid-stages, he was still formidable.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that an average jōnin facing Manda would end up as nothing more than a snack.
Weakness was relative, depending on who you were comparing it to.
If Sasuke could control Manda, his strength would leap forward dramatically.
When facing an enemy, he wouldn't even need to do much—just unleash Manda and let him wreak havoc.
But for a mere snake, Kazuki didn't even feel the need to lift a finger.
With a simple genjutsu, he subdued Manda, leaving a mark on the serpent's soul.
As the tomoe in Manda's eyes faded, he gazed at Kazuki, who was now mere inches away, his mind foggy and disoriented.
What had just happened?
It was as if he'd been ensnared by genjutsu.
"Damn it, using genjutsu to control me? I'll—"
Before Manda could launch another attack, still cursing and grumbling, he suddenly writhed in agony, rolling across the ground.
His massive body crushed countless trees, sending nearby animals fleeing in panic.
Deep trenches scarred the earth, carved out by Manda's long, thrashing form.
"Still want to fight?"
Kazuki crossed his arms, looking up at the writhing serpent. "I've left a mark on your soul. With a single thought, I can make you wish you were dead. Care to experience it again?"
Sasuke instinctively shrank back.
Orochimaru's expression darkened, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
At the same time, he couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
'Other people's genjutsu targeted the mind and will, but only you, Uchiha Kazuki, would go so far as to manipulate someone's very soul while casting an illusion.'
"No, no, no, my lord, I wouldn't dare! I'll never dare again!"
In less than two minutes, Manda surrendered completely. The soul-tearing agony was something he never wanted to experience again.
"Good."
Kazuki nodded with satisfaction. "Consider today a small lesson. From now on, show some respect when you encounter an Uchiha. You'll fight for Sasuke from now on. Orochimaru no longer needs your services. Obey Sasuke's commands, and I'll pass the method to control your soul mark to him. If you don't want to die, behave yourself."
Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu were fond of placing cursed seals on others to control their bodies.
Kazuki, on the other hand, preferred using genjutsu to leave something in his opponent's soul—something that could make them writhe in unimaginable pain.
The agony of a torn soul was far worse than any physical wound.
Orochimaru was the perfect example.
When his soul was wounded, that ruthless man had screamed in a way that was utterly pitiful. If even Orochimaru couldn't endure it, what chance did a mere snake have?
Kazuki's method was tantamount to enslaving Manda, much like how Uchiha Madara had forcibly controlled the Nine-Tails.
The difference was that Madara's control was direct and forceful, while Kazuki simply instilled fear in Manda, ensuring his obedience.
The main reason Kazuki had never bothered to sign a summoning contract was simple: when he was weaker, there were no suitable summoned beasts.
And once he surpassed that stage, ordinary summoned beasts were beneath his notice.
Now, at his current level, unless he could summon a Tailed Beast, there was no point in bothering with summoned creatures that were not only unhelpful but might even hold him back.
"Get to know him better. I'm heading back."
After passing the method to control Manda to Sasuke, Kazuki patted his shoulder and left.
The rest was up to Sasuke.
Manda was merely a tool enslaved for battle. Sasuke's true focus should be on nurturing Aoda.
After all, Aoda was the summoned beast truly willing to fight for Sasuke.
Manda was a temporary measure, a stepping stone to help Sasuke grow while he cultivated his bond with Aoda.
Kazuki trusted that Sasuke would find the right balance.
And even if he didn't, it wouldn't matter. Once Sasuke grew stronger, summoned beasts would become irrelevant, their presence or absence making little difference.
Among the many summoned beasts, only the slug, Tsunade's Katsuyu, retained some utility in the later stages. The others couldn't keep up, couldn't endure, and weren't worth the effort to nurture extensively.
"Come back early tomorrow."
With Kazuki gone, Orochimaru had no reason to linger.
Since Kazuki had tampered with Manda's soul and Sasuke now held the means to control him, there was no point in Orochimaru sticking around to watch.
He might as well head back to the lab to get some work done—or at least get some rest.