And this giant snake… definitely looked like it had a nasty temper.
Gamakichi had already done his best to hold back his own attitude, which was why he wasn't glaring at Naruto.
That was only out of respect for Jiraiya and Minato.
But now… damn it, even Manda had shown up. How was he supposed to stay calm now?
"Manda."
The pipe Gamakichi had been holding in his mouth was gone before he even realized it.
This was not the time to be smoking.
He knew exactly what kind of creature Manda was.
One second, it might seem fine. The next, it could suddenly lunge and bite you.
With a snake this unpredictable, the best approach was to stay on guard and never give it the chance to strike first.
Unlike Gamakichi, who barely paid Naruto any attention, Manda remained coiled neatly by Sasuke's side.
Its massive eyes, however, stayed locked onto Gamakichi in the distance.
The moment something seemed off, it was ready to strike.
"Do we really need to keep going?"
Sasuke had no interest in wasting more time on something so meaningless.
Sure, he could summon Manda.
But that was only because Yan had Manda under control.
Otherwise, Manda wouldn't even acknowledge him.
"Yes! Of course, we're not done! I haven't lost yet!"
Naruto, who had been intimidated by Manda's presence at first, immediately protested when he heard that.
He hadn't lost yet—so why should they stop?
Unless… Uchiha Sasuke was the one who wanted to give up?
"Kid, don't push it."
Gamakichi was speechless.
The match had already gone far enough.
Soon, Jiraiya would step in and call it a draw—wasn't that enough?
What more did Naruto want?
Did he really want to see Gamakichi and Manda tear into each other?
A fight?
Gamakichi gave Naruto a warning not to take things too far.
But Manda, who was already on edge, perked up the moment he heard the word "fight."
A fight?
That meant if he did well…
Manda glanced over at Yan, noticing the slight smile on his face.
And with that, it made up its mind.
Before anyone could react, Manda suddenly lunged at Gamakichi with its fangs bared.
"Manda, are you insane?!"
Gamakichi had been about to scold Naruto for not knowing when to back down.
But before he could even finish, Manda struck.
Its speed was beyond anything he had expected.
And the worst part?
Manda had waited until Gamakichi was distracted by Naruto before launching its attack.
"GET LOST!!!"
Bunta tried to dodge, but Manda's sudden attack was too fast—faster than anyone expected.
Even though Bunta was on guard, his focus had slipped while talking to Naruto.
Manda sank its fangs right into Bunta's body.
Bunta let out a muffled grunt.
It had been a long time since he last felt Manda's bite. Ever since Tsunade and Orochimaru left Konoha, he hadn't experienced this kind of pain.
The sharp pain jolted Bunta awake. Instinctively, he reached out with his massive forelimbs to grab his weapon.
After swiping at empty air a couple of times, he finally realized—
Damn it, I was sunbathing at home when I got summoned! I wasn't ready for a fight, and all my weapons are still at home!
"Jiraiya, this is all your fault!!!"
Through the pain, Bunta cursed loudly and started struggling, trying to free himself from Manda's jaws.
Everyone was completely stunned by what just happened.
Sasuke coldly stared at Manda, who was still biting down on Bunta, feeling utterly confused.
Wait… I don't think I gave the order to attack?
Tsunade, Shizune, and Izumi, who had been watching from the side, were also dumbfounded.
What the hell is going on?
Why are the summoned beasts suddenly fighting each other?
Naruto's jaw dropped so low it was about to hit the ground.
Jiraiya quickly pulled him back, then turned to look at the two giant creatures now locked in combat. His head was buzzing.
This… This wasn't part of the plan.
But why did Manda attack Bunta?
It doesn't make any sense.
Are they seriously going at it?
Yan watched in surprise as the two summoned beasts fought. He still didn't understand what had triggered Manda's sudden aggression.
Orochimaru, however, just gave a calm smile.
"Looks like Manda is trying to impress Yan-kun."
Wait… so this is because of me?
Manda wanted to show off for Yan, so it decided to attack Bunta out of nowhere…?
Bunta was having the worst luck ever!
Summoned out of nowhere by Naruto, bitten out of the blue by Manda, and now dragged into an all-out fight.
"BOOM!!!"
The two mountain-sized summoned beasts clashed, their battle looking like something straight out of a monster movie.
Should someone stop them?
Sasuke instinctively glanced at Yan.
Seeing that Yan wasn't planning to intervene and was instead watching the fight with great interest, Sasuke immediately dropped the idea of stopping them.
He silently walked over to stand next to Yan, choosing to ignore the two battling beasts.
"Orochimaru, what the hell are you up to???"
Tsunade still thought Orochimaru was behind all of this.
Damn, two powerful Summoned Beasts were tearing into each other right in the village's training ground. The shockwaves from their battle were insane.
The whole of Konohagakure was already on edge. As Hokage, Tsunade couldn't just sit back and let this continue.
Her first thought? Orochimaru was behind this.
Why else would Manda suddenly attack, sinking its fangs into Gamabunta?
Gamabunta had a bad temper, sure, but at least he followed the rules. Manda, on the other hand, was completely unpredictable—he might even bite his own allies.
"This has nothing to do with me."
Orochimaru spread his hands, looking innocent. At the same time, he glanced at Yan, signaling to Tsunade—*Why are you asking me? You should be asking him.*
"I didn't tell Manda to attack that big toad."
"Yan?"
Tsunade glared at him.
Yan, without missing a beat, copied Orochimaru's gesture, holding out his hands.
"I didn't give any orders. And besides, Manda isn't even my Summoned Beast."
"....."
*You two idiots—do you want me to beat you up?*
Tsunade clenched her teeth in anger at their shamelessness.
"Orochimaru, was this your doing?"
Jiraiya rushed over, carrying Naruto in his arms, and immediately confronted Orochimaru.
The first time he was questioned, Orochimaru had brushed it off casually.
The second time, though—especially when it came from Jiraiya—his expression darkened, and his usual smirk disappeared.
"This has nothing to do with me. I never ordered Manda to attack.
You should be asking *this* kid instead. If he hadn't insisted on continuing the fight, do you really think Manda would've gone on the attack?"
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