Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The reason Ye Zi had come to see Orochimaru was to form a contract with a summoning beast.

Thinking back, choosing the reverse summoning technique full of unknown risks was a mistake, leading to his unexpected encounter with Shokui. If he had signed the contract scroll with the Ryuchi Cave clan from the start, none of this would have happened.

However, it couldn't be denied that Shokui had played an irreplaceable role in his journey. Ye Zi wouldn't have come this far without him. But due to Shokui's restless nature, Ye Zi eventually chose to abandon him.

"I want to sign a summoning contract with the Ryuchi Cave clan," Ye Zi said bluntly, not wasting any time.

"Oh?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in surprise and said casually, "What about your current summoning beast?"

It wasn't a secret that Ye Zi had a large summoning beast—a humanoid, one-eyed, big-mouthed creature.

"I can't use it anymore," Ye Zi briefly explained.

Seeing that Ye Zi didn't want to elaborate, Orochimaru fell silent for a moment before saying, "Manda isn't an easy summoning beast to deal with."

"Not easy to deal with?" Ye Zi smirked coldly, his eyes turning frosty. "I have my own ways to make him behave."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a wicked smile as he imagined how the interaction between Manda and Ye Zi would unfold. Calmly, he said, "Also, if you intend to use Manda in battle, then my efforts to remain hidden would be pointless."

Ye Zi replied, "There's no need to hide anymore. Of course, if you're afraid that Jiraiya will track you down, then I'll just find another suitable summoning beast."

Now that Akatsuki's core members were all assembled, Nagato wouldn't care if Orochimaru was part of the group or not. Even if they saw Ye Zi summon Manda and deduced that Ye Zi was keeping Orochimaru's whereabouts secret, it wouldn't cause any issues.

The only person to watch out for was Jiraiya.

"You don't need to provoke me." Orochimaru sneered coldly, saying, "Even if he finds me, nothing will change."

Ye Zi's lips curved slightly, and he calmly said, "In that case, no more unnecessary words. Hand over the scroll."

Orochimaru snorted, "Is that your way of making a request?"

"I didn't expect you to care about such things," Ye Zi replied flatly.

Raising an eyebrow, Orochimaru silently summoned the Ryuchi Cave clan's contract scroll. Under Ye Zi's calm gaze, he unfurled the scroll, revealing the familiar black, tadpole-like symbols and a long list of names—names of those who had made contracts throughout history.

Orochimaru's name was listed on the far right, with a blank space next to it.

"Sign your name and leave five blood fingerprints, and the contract will be complete."

Without hesitation, Ye Zi signed his name next to Orochimaru's and then bit his finger, staining all five fingers with blood and pressing them beneath his signature.

"Contract complete," Orochimaru said as he rolled up the scroll and added, "Now that the contract is signed, you can summon creatures from the Ryuchi Cave clan. With your abilities, summoning Manda shouldn't be an issue, but Manda doesn't obey easily. He'll demand a hundred living sacrifices before helping you."

"In short, he's useful, but a bit troublesome to use."

"A hundred living sacrifices?" Ye Zi frowned.

Orochimaru chuckled coldly. "That's the basic deal. You should probably introduce yourself to him first."

"Of course. But I don't want to deal with that every time. A hundred sacrifices?" Ye Zi sneered coldly, "That won't happen from now on."

Orochimaru's curiosity was piqued by this. He asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing much, just going to have a little 'chat' with him."

As Ye Zi turned to leave, heading for the door, he muttered, "What a bothersome summoning beast. I can't believe you've put up with him for this long."

"..."

Orochimaru watched Ye Zi's retreating figure, speechless.

Manda was indeed difficult to deal with, but he was undeniably a powerful asset, a rare force to be reckoned with.

Leaving Orochimaru's room, Ye Zi headed for the exit of the hideout.

According to Orochimaru, Manda was a tough beast to handle. Ye Zi didn't want to waste time negotiating terms in the middle of battle, so before relying on Manda, he had to 'talk' to him first.

Alone, Ye Zi left the hideout, looking for a remote, uninhabited area to summon Manda.

Considering Manda's size, avoiding attention would be a challenge.

As Orochimaru's summoning beast, Manda's iconic presence was already well-known across the ninja world.

Leaping through the forest, Ye Zi wandered without a set destination.

"Should I immobilize him with Wood Release when I summon him, or reverse summon myself to Ryuchi Cave?" Ye Zi pondered.

If he went to Ryuchi Cave, he might get attacked for being too aggressive. Since the upcoming confrontation wouldn't be friendly, he dismissed that thought.

After wandering for a while, Ye Zi emerged from the forest and came upon a deep chasm carved by nature. Below lay a deep gorge. He was now near the border; behind him was the forest, and in front of him was the ravine, which stretched a fair distance across.

"This place will do."

Standing on the edge, Ye Zi looked down at the stream flowing far below, then leapt into the chasm, spreading his arms as he fell through the strong wind.

As he neared the ground, he used Wind Release to slow his descent, landing gently on the pebble-covered riverbank.

Looking around, he saw a wide blue stream running through the gorge. The depth and isolation of this place would easily conceal Manda's massive form.

After a quick survey of his surroundings, Ye Zi performed the summoning technique.

With a puff of white smoke, Manda was summoned from Ryuchi Cave. Expecting Orochimaru to have summoned him, Manda was about to demand the usual offering of living sacrifices when he suddenly sensed something was off.

Swoosh!

Thick wooden branches burst from the pebble-strewn ground, wrapping tightly around Manda before he could react and slamming him to the ground, sending stones flying in all directions.

"You're not Orochimaru!"

Pinned to the ground by the sudden Wood Release, Manda's massive face twisted in human-like anger.

He was certain that he had been summoned, and the only other person present was the summoner. Moreover, the use of Wood Release indicated that this person was no ordinary ninja.

As the white smoke cleared, revealing Ye Zi's figure, he walked toward Manda's enormous head, gazing into the giant snake's eyes and terrifying mouth.

"Of course, I'm not Orochimaru."

"Ye Zi…" Manda's massive eyes reflected Ye Zi's figure. Though it had been a long time since they last met, he still recognized Ye Zi.

"I've just signed the summoning contract," Ye Zi said calmly.

The anger in Manda's eyes intensified, almost becoming tangible, as he roared, "Then what is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing much. Just making sure our conversation goes smoothly by keeping you in check."

Ye Zi remained calm, speaking coldly, "I have no intention of being like Orochimaru, offering living sacrifices every time I need your help."

"I'll devour you!" Manda struggled fiercely, but to no avail.

Ye Zi stared coldly at Manda, his voice icy. "It's useless."

His eyes gleamed with deadly intent, a threat that was not merely for show.

"Manda, from now on, I look forward to working with you. First, you need to understand one thing: I am not Orochimaru. I will not provide you with living sacrifices. And secondly, as a summoning beast, you need to act like one."

He slowly extended his hand and pressed it against Manda's snout, his gaze cold and filled with killing intent.

Seeing Ye Zi's expression, the defiant Manda's rage reached its peak. He sneered, "You think that I—"

Before he could finish, he was cut off.

Zzzzzz!

A powerful surge of lightning shot from Ye Zi's hand, coursing through Manda's body. The fierce lightning chakra wreaked havoc on Manda's form.

The overwhelming pain caused Manda to let out a piercing scream.

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Currently on Chapter 310 - Preparing to Go Against the Leaf and the Sand