In the dark underground combat training hall—
After the blood mist exploded, a thick rain of blood was swept high into the air by a sudden gust of wind. It fell with a splash, splattering across the faces of the Sound shinobi below.
The smell of blood filled the air.
Kin, Dosu Kinuta, and Zaku stood wide-eyed, staring up at the elevated corridor. Their still-youthful faces were speckled with droplets of blood.
In just that instant…
What exactly had happened?
Not just them—even the surrounding Sound ninja hadn't reacted at all. All they saw was a blur of black light and shadows, and then Egawa Takeshi's team was reduced to nothing but mist.
That was one of the elite teams of the Sound Village.
Gone… just like that?
A few perceptive Sound shinobi were frozen in place. In that brief moment, they had felt countless fine and razor-sharp wind-chakra particles erupting and swirling in the air.
Those three idiots had been disintegrated into blood mist by those wind-chakra threads.
They had encountered Wind Release chakra before—but this kind of instantly released, dense, and precise manipulation of wind nature transformation was something they had never seen or even imagined.
"I… what did I just witness? Lord Orochimaru… he's walking alongside someone in Uchiha clan robes?"
Kin's pupils dilated as she stared at the backs of Orochimaru and the others.
Meanwhile, Dosu, who was always good at observing behavior, froze for a long while and then mumbled, "More than that… what's truly strange is Lord Orochimaru's attitude toward that man."
Only when Orochimaru and the others disappeared into the corridor that led toward the Sound Village's underground storage chamber did anyone dare to breathe again.
Zaku's entire body trembled as he dropped to his knees, hands planted on the ground, panting heavily in terror. "T-That's… that's the Uchiha?"
Many other Sound shinobi, like Zaku, were left shaken to their core and instinctively wanted to get as far from the area as possible.
Kimimaro appeared alone on the corridor above. He glanced down at the crowd and said coldly:
Before he even finished speaking, the Sound ninja fled as if they'd been issued a death sentence.
Dosu helped support the still-reeling Zaku. He looked up toward the end of the hallway, sighed, and left without a word.
At one point, their trio had also harbored thoughts of challenging the Uchiha.
Better to just keep dreaming.
And so, the trio left.
Inside the Sound Village's underground storage chamber, Orochimaru led the group inside.
During Yu's earlier attack, even Tsunade, Shizune, Nonō, and the others had only caught a glimpse of the sword being sheathed.
But none of them were surprised anymore.
Yu scanned the brightly lit interior.
It was extremely dry.
Bookshelves were arranged in perfect order.
The compartments were crammed with countless scrolls, resembling an underground library. Deeper inside, various scientific instruments were neatly organized.
The room flickered with a soft, eerie glow.
The sounds of serpents hissing echoed around the space. Countless snakes of various colors coiled on the bookshelves and across the floor.
As the group entered, the snakes raised their heads, their vertical pupils locking onto the intruders.
But as soon as they caught Orochimaru's scent, their aggression immediately dissipated. They resumed coiling idly or slithered away.
Little Karin shrank behind her mother in fear, not daring to speak. Every now and then, she peeked toward the back of Uchiha Yu, seeking comfort.
"Yu-kun, please wait just a moment," Orochimaru said.
He walked alone to a corner stacked with large scrolls, searching for a particular summoning scroll.
Meanwhile, Yu led the rest of the group in observing the surroundings.
He was genuinely interested in the many scrolls stored here, but there were more pressing matters to handle—he had no intention of lingering.
Tsunade looked around the storage chamber. Her gaze swept over the forbidden technique scrolls she recognized. The familiar layout of the room filled her with complex emotions.
The layout here was nearly identical to that of Konoha's own secret archives under Orochimaru's management—orderly, precise, meticulous.
"You've been living here ever since you defected from Konoha?" Tsunade asked curiously.
Orochimaru, with his back to the group, sorted through the scrolls and chuckled. "Not always. Kimimaro has been managing this place. Ever since I joined the Akatsuki, I rarely come back."
"The Akatsuki?" Tsunade's eyes lit up with interest. "What kind of organization is that?"
Confirming the scroll he was holding was indeed the summoning contract he'd been looking for, Orochimaru replied with a sly smile:
"An organization that's well-funded and treats its members decently. That 'Angel' of theirs always reimburses my experimental expenses."
He was still technically a member of Akatsuki and couldn't reveal too much, lest he invite the wrath of their mysterious leader.
"..." Tsunade had no words.
"Yu-kun, this is the gift I wanted to give you." Orochimaru approached Uchiha Yu and handed him a long crimson scroll, about the length of an adult's forearm, engraved with simple serpent patterns.
"Let's head outside first," Orochimaru suggested.
The twin stone doors to the archive slowly shut behind them as they left, pebbles and grit raining down from the shaking ceiling.
Yu unrolled the summoning contract scroll. Little Karin, mustering her courage, helped hold down the scroll that tumbled to the ground.
The scroll bore the same crimson serpent pattern at its head, but its name field was blank.
They returned to the underground training hall.
The space was wide and open.
Orochimaru smiled and explained to Yu, "This summoning scroll once belonged to a powerful ninja. After he died in battle, I recovered it.
He had contracted a crimson serpent from the Ryūchi Cave—named 'Garaga.' Its power rivals that of Manda. Though it's blind in one eye, it's far more violent and unpredictable. Even Manda doesn't want to provoke it."
Tsunade's eyes trembled slightly. A cold smile crept across her lips.
She'd heard about Garaga from Katsuyu. That snake had a notorious reputation—more aggressive and dangerous than Manda, utterly bloodthirsty and insane.
Even the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave struggled to suppress it.
Giving it to Yu… was perfect.
She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to see Yu make a fool of himself.
Yu glanced at the top of the scroll, where a name had once been written but was now blank. He asked, "To summon it for the first time, how much chakra would it take?"
He had some understanding of summoning techniques—he knew the strength of a summoned creature was closely tied to the summoner's chakra capacity.
If his chakra was insufficient, even if he had the scroll, the best he'd summon would be some strange little snakes instead.
Orochimaru smiled. "To summon it the first time, you'd need roughly the amount of chakra someone like me or Tsunade possesses."
Yu nodded in acknowledgment. He took out a kunai, made a small cut on his right index finger, and signed his name on the scroll's first line.
Orochimaru asked, "You plan to summon it here?"
"You can," Orochimaru replied with a faint, bitter smile—already mentally preparing to repair the base afterward.
Yu nodded, then brought his hands together, fingers forming seals rapidly: Boar – Dog – Rooster – Monkey – Ram!
He pressed both palms to the ground.
The Mangekyō pattern in his eyes spun, drawing upon the Yasakani seal hidden within Tsunade's body.
A deep blue light burst across Yu's body.
Everyone around instinctively backed away—the scene was far too familiar.
Tsunade's pupils quaked. She could feel chakra forcibly erupting from within her, rapidly siphoned away and into Yu's body.
The weakness crawled from her toes up through her entire body. Shizune noticed something was wrong and immediately rushed to support her.
A muffled blast resounded as a massive summoning array lit up across the training field, swallowing chakra like an endless tide.
The thunderous noise echoed through the space. Little Karin cowered beside her mother, trembling.
The entire underground base trembled violently. Black smoke billowed. Chunks of stone crashed down from the ceiling.
The vast training ground was swallowed up by a mountain-sized form. An overwhelming shadow loomed over the group.
A golden serpent's eye, missing its twin, emerged from the smoke. Its massive tongue flicked furiously. Two long fangs gleamed with menace as its gaping maw emitted a deep, terrifying growl:
"Human… Are you courting death?"
Yu slowly looked up, locking eyes with the gigantic golden pupil.
What stood before him was entirely crimson, with a massive form, a cobra-like head, and a commanding, tyrannical presence—made even more imposing by the absence of one eye.
"I'm looking for a mount," Yu said coolly.
His Mangekyō glowed crimson.
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.
If you do subscribe, please do so in the web , not the ios app.