Chapter 42 — Dancing with Manda
A dim and shadowy land. Thick fog blanketed the surroundings, cold winds howled, and rustling sounds echoed intermittently. From afar, faint roars could be heard, sending chills down the spine.
"Where is this?"
Kinoshita Hikaru felt his head spinning, as if it had been struck by something heavy.
He shook his head and checked his body, only to find that aside from some dust on his clothes, there were no injuries.
Recalling what had happened before, the last thing he remembered was becoming Orochimaru's disciple, signing the Ryūchi Cave contract—and then being swallowed by a spatial vortex. After that, he ended up here.
What a scam ←_←
"This is Ryūchi Cave?"
That was the only explanation. He knew he had likely been reverse summoned here.
He observed his surroundings, but couldn't see clearly—the entire environment was shrouded in dense fog.
This was shocking. A ninja with chakra didn't just gain enhanced strength and speed; their senses were also sharpened. Under normal circumstances, ordinary fog wouldn't be able to obstruct Hikaru's vision at all.
Yet now, he could only see clearly within ten meters. Beyond that, everything became hazy and obscured, impossible to perceive.
Though he couldn't see clearly, there was a flickering light in the distance—like a candle swaying in the air. Despite the fog, it was unmistakably visible.
Like a guidepost, pointing the way for a lost traveler.
Hikaru cautiously moved forward, step by step, heading toward the source of the light.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out. He looked down—and his pupils shrank instantly.
The source of the sound was a human skull.
Who knew how long it had been there? Its once-white surface had been eroded by time, pitted and uneven.
His expression grew serious as he continued forward. On the soft, damp ground, two clear footprints were left behind.
Finally, Hikaru reached the source of the light—and saw what it truly was.
His mouth opened wide, yet he didn't dare make a single sound, afraid of waking the massive creature before him.
The so-called light source… was actually an eye.
It was a giant snake. Its right eye bore a scar, leaving only the left eye intact—glowing with a cold, eerie light.
Its body was covered in crimson scales, coiled upon itself. There was no telling how long it was.
It was lightly snoring—fast asleep.
"This is… the Hidden Domain," Hikaru thought.
He didn't dare be careless. He recognized this giant snake—its name was Manda. Having once been betrayed by humans, it no longer trusted them. It possessed a reverse scale, contained immense sage chakra, and was on the verge of transforming into a dragon. Its temperament was violent and brutal, making it the most powerful snake in Ryūchi Cave.
It had the ability to petrify others. Its defining traits were its massive size, extreme agility, overwhelming attack power, and incredible speed.
Hikaru pondered how to communicate with Manda—not to make it his summoning beast, but simply to ask for directions.
Ugh (︶︿︶)=凸
This place was completely unfamiliar. He didn't know how to get back, nor how to find the White Snake Sage.
After thinking for a long time without coming up with a good solution, he decided to rely on what he was best at.
Hikaru took out a large chunk of meat from his storage—about 200 pounds.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
If one meal couldn't solve the problem, then two would.
He took out seasoning and sprinkled it over the meat. Before long, a rich aroma spread through the air.
At some point, Manda had already woken up.
It didn't stop him. Instead, it simply watched quietly, curious about what this human brat was planning to do.
Once it understood everything, it would eat him.
It didn't care how Hikaru had gotten here. Anyone who dared enter its territory would be torn to pieces.
And so, one roasted while the other watched—forming a strangely harmonious scene.
After a while—
Hikaru picked up the roasted meat and nodded in satisfaction. The surface was crispy while the inside remained tender, glistening with juices, the aroma irresistible.
With a bright smile, he held it out toward Manda.
"Big guy, I'll treat you to some meat. Can you tell me how to get out of here?"
Manda's eye widened. Chakra burst forth from its body, and a powerful shockwave expanded outward, whipping up violent winds.
As the most violent and powerful snake of the Hidden Domain, this human brat dared not only to show no fear—but even offered it roasted meat.
Its massive body moved forward, drawing close to Hikaru as it stared directly at him. Opening its mouth, it let out a thunderous roar—
"ROAR!"
(⊙x⊙;)
Manda suddenly felt something burning hot in its mouth. Instinctively, it shut its jaws—and the roasted meat in Hikaru's hand had disappeared.
(д｀)
"Tasty?" Hikaru gave it a wide grin.
...…
...…
Manda felt intense heat, yet at the same time, its taste buds exploded with flavor. Its mouth began to water uncontrollably.
It twisted its massive body, wanting to spit the meat out—but also reluctant to do so.
At that moment—
Seeing it sway its body as if in enjoyment, Hikaru happily began to whistle the "Ah San Snake Dance."
"Wuu… wuu wuu… wuu…"
A strange melody echoed through the air, as if it carried some kind of magical power. Manda couldn't help but stretch its neck and start moving along with the rhythm.
"Wuu… wuu wuu… wuu wuu wuu…"
Hikaru gestured up and down, playing along as he danced with Manda.
He felt a bit regretful—if only he had a flute, it would have been perfect.
When the tune ended—
Manda's single eye glowed dangerously. Though the roasted meat tasted quite good, this human brat had dared to toy with it.
Unforgivable.
Enraged, it slammed directly toward Hikaru—though this time, it didn't open its mouth, wary of having something strange thrown inside again.
"Brat, you've angered Lord Manda!"
Its enormous body moved with speed that defied its size, like an arrow loosed from a bow, tearing through the air.
Hikaru sidestepped to the left, narrowly dodging the fatal strike.
"Hey, Manda! I treated you to roasted meat and even danced with you—why are you attacking me?"
Manda didn't answer. Or rather, it couldn't answer.
What was it supposed to say?
That the meat tasted good?
Or that it was dissatisfied with its own dance just now?
Manda's violent nature was fully revealed as it launched a relentless barrage of attacks, determined to make Hikaru understand the price of angering it.
Hikaru didn't fight back. Like a nimble ape, he dodged each strike, his lips pursed as he continued whistling the Ah San Snake Dance.
"Wuu… wuu wuu… wuu…"
...
Elsewhere—
Ryūchi Cave.
On a massive stone throne sat an enormous white snake, a string of beads hanging around its neck, a large pipe clenched in its mouth.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
As the ruler of Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage was on the verge of transforming into a dragon. With a lifespan of nearly a thousand years, its strength was immeasurable.
It had sensed the arrival of a new contractor, yet that person had not appeared before it.
At that moment—
The White Snake Sage closed its eyes and used senjutsu to scan Ryūchi Cave.
"So he's there!"
It was slightly surprised. Normally, contractors would be transported directly to its side upon arrival. But today, the newcomer had been sent to the Hidden Domain instead.
"Little one, it seems your luck is quite poor. You cannot withstand the inheritance of Ryūchi Cave."
There was no emotion in the White Snake Sage's eyes.
Unlike Mount Myōboku, which nurtured its disciples patiently, Ryūchi Cave believed in the law of the jungle.
If you lacked strength—then death was simply your fate.