The giant serpent thrashed violently, trying to throw Ryuuto off—but the boy clung tight, chakra anchoring his stance like iron.
"You… are you from Iwagakure?" the serpent hissed, its massive pupils narrowing on him.
Ryuuto scoffed. "Nope. And this isn't even your world anymore, snake-king." He cracked a grin, wicked and confident. "You're a summon beast bound by contract. Once linked, you'll answer no matter which world your summoner calls from. Get the picture now?"
The snake's voice rumbled like thunder. "You wield Earth Style… and still claim not to be from Iwagakure? Foolish brat! I've lived for millennia—your lies are paper-thin to me!"
Ryuuto chuckled. "You think I only know Earth Style?"
He leapt from the serpent's head, landing before its colossal snout. Chakra flared around his palm—whirling, glowing—until a Rasengan spun to life, blue light tearing the air apart.
The serpent recoiled. "Rasengan?! From Konoha? What in the world are you!?"
Ryuuto's smirk widened. "Your new master."
"Master?" The serpent's tone turned venomous. "Insolent worm! Even Orochimaru could not command me!"
It opened its maw and unleashed two torrents of emerald venom.
Ryuuto vanished, reappearing on a nearby tree as the ground where he'd stood melted into black sludge. Even the grass shriveled to ash.
"Tch… one wrong move and I'd be soup bones by now." He exhaled sharply.
A massive tail came swinging. Ryuuto barely flipped over it, yelling, "Jean! Back off! I need space to deal with this thing!"
"You sure you don't need backup?" Jean's voice echoed from above.
Ryuuto flashed a grin. "Nah! Just warming up!"
Jean hesitated. "Fine—but if you screw this up, I'm not cleaning the mess!"
"Go! Keep Magneto off our backs!"
Jean shot him a look—half worry, half disbelief—but turned away. She hated snakes anyway.
Once she was gone, Ryuuto whispered to himself, "Alright… let's see how far the data sync's come."
[Orochimaru Data Pack: 13% Synchronized]
He smirked. "Perfect. Enough to play."
Clapping his hands together, Ryuuto shouted: "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A flurry of chakra bursts—bang! bang! bang!—and thirty versions of him appeared, surrounding the serpent.
Then, seals flashed again. "Expansion Jutsu!"
The clones ballooned in size—muscles swelling, earth cracking under their feet.
The serpent froze, eyes widening. Expansion Jutsu… Akimichi clan secret technique!?
How could one human know so many styles?
But shock didn't mean surrender. The serpent roared and lunged, crushing two clones instantly.
Ryuuto frowned. "Wait… how's it tracking me so accurately?"
He swapped places with a distant clone. Instantly, the serpent whipped its head around, snapping at his new location.
"Don't tell me—thermal vision?"
A realization sparked in his eyes. "Right. Snakes can't see well… but they sense heat."
The clones, being chakra constructs, had lower body temperature. Ryuuto alone burned red-hot in the serpent's perception.
"Gotcha," he muttered.
He swapped again—this time with the furthest clone. All thirty Ryuutos raised their hands, chakra swirling into orbs of blue destruction.
[Massive Chakra Output Detected – S.H.I.E.L.D. Satellite Scan Active]
[Nick Fury: Signal Overlap Detected Near Mutant Academy – Ignoring.]
"Alright, big guy…" Ryuuto grinned. "Let's make some noise."
He and his clones shouted in unison: "Ninjutsu—Multi-Rasengan Barrage!"
Dozens of spiraling spheres screamed through the air toward the serpent.
It tried to slither away, but Ryuuto had already moved—hands slamming onto the ground. "Earth Style—Earth Core Rise!"
The terrain convulsed, hurling a massive chunk of rock upward. The stone struck the serpent's chin, forcing its head back just as the Rasengan barrage collided.
The explosions ripped through the clearing. Air pressure warped. Dirt and scales flew everywhere.
When the dust settled, the serpent lay bleeding, massive coils trembling.
Ryuuto approached, voice cold. "You've got two choices. Submit—or die. You're not Toad Gamabunta or Slug Katsuyu. I don't need you."
The serpent's eyes narrowed, hate simmering beneath exhaustion. "What… did you do to Orochimaru? The contract is identical… and yet, your scent isn't his."
Ryuuto crouched, his grin returning, faintly cruel. "Obey me, and maybe I'll tell you."
He rose, chakra flaring like flame. "Refuse—and I'll erase your existence. Not just here, but from the entire summoning realm. You won't even slither home."
The serpent stared, silent now. For the first time in centuries, it felt something like fear.