Jie did not stop the fight between Garaga and Gamabunta, and he had no interest in stopping it.
Talking big was not wrong, but talking big in front of someone you should not provoke deserved a lesson. Besides, Gamabunta clearly knew he was weaker than Garaga and still insisted on acting tough. That was his own problem. Why should Jie stop Garaga?
So when Naruto asked what was going on, Jie acted as if he had not heard and simply watched Garaga beat Gamabunta down.
Garaga had a bad temper, but he was not stupid. As one of Ryūchi Cave's senior snakes, he was far smarter than most humans. He knew that with Gamabunta's status in Mount Myōboku, he could not just kill him for no reason.
Because of that, Garaga never went for the kill. From beginning to end, he only used his tail to give Gamabunta a harsh beating and vent his anger.
Only after Garaga stopped did Jie snort lightly and answer Naruto's question.
"Naruto, did Jiraiya ever make you sign a scroll like this?"
Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. A few years ago, Jiraiya had indeed made him sign a similar scroll.
'So that scroll had been Mount Myōboku's contract?'
Seeing Naruto nod, Jie continued, "That is the problem."
Summoning Jutsu was not limited to one kind of summon. Jie, for example, could summon the ninja crows specially raised by the Uchiha clan, and he could also summon the giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
But once someone signed a contract with one of the sacred lands, they would be recognized as that sacred land's contractor. After that, even Jie would not be able to sign a contract with Mount Myōboku.
After all, the three great sacred lands had their own rivalry. It was like a country that did not recognize dual citizenship. The sacred lands also would not accept someone who had already signed with another one.
Naruto was in exactly that situation.
After Jiraiya talked him into it, Naruto had already signed Mount Myōboku's summoning scroll. Naturally, he could no longer leave his name on Ryūchi Cave's contract.
Jie opened the summoning scroll and checked. Sure enough, among the three names they had just written, only Naruto's name had already dimmed. Sasuke and Hinata's names still glowed faintly.
After hearing Jie's explanation, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata finally understood.
Sasuke gave Naruto a sympathetic look.
That old toad was clearly no match for the giant snake. When it came to the Summoning Jutsu, Naruto had fallen completely behind.
Naruto himself looked like he wanted to cry. From what Jie said, his future summons could only be toads.
Just a toad. How could that compare to the giant snakes Sasuke and Hinata could summon?
Jie did not care much about that.
Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave were both among the three great sacred lands. In terms of overall strength, they were about equal. For Naruto, signing with Ryūchi Cave or Mount Myōboku would not make much difference.
Besides, Jiraiya had some influence in Mount Myōboku. Naruto would get plenty of help there, no worse than what Ryūchi Cave could offer. It might even suit him better in the long run.
What Jie truly cared about was the old toad of Mount Myōboku and the prophecy it had once given about him.
Jie had ignored that prophecy until now. He had been busy, and more importantly, he simply had not cared enough to deal with it.
But now that Gamabunta had appeared in front of him, the matter had come up again. Since he had some free time, he might as well make a trip to Mount Myōboku.
Jie looked at Gamabunta, whose face was already swollen from Garaga's beating. In the next moment, he appeared on top of the toad's head.
"Take me to Mount Myōboku," Jie said.
Gamabunta had just taken a beating and was already furious. Seeing Jie step onto his head only made his anger flare even higher.
"You damned human brat! Get off my head!"
With a roar, Gamabunta swung the short sword in his hand toward his own head, aiming straight at Jie.
Garaga immediately started watching with interest.
If Gamabunta provoked him, Garaga still had to consider Mount Myōboku and avoid killing him outright. But provoking Jie was different.
Jie would not care about Gamabunta's status. If Gamabunta truly angered him, he would only end up as a dead toad.
Jie looked at the short sword coming down and simply pressed his foot harder against Gamabunta's head.
A crushing weight fell on the toad.
Gamabunta let out a muffled groan, his limbs buckled, and his huge body slammed flat against the ground, leaving a deep pit beneath him.
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