In a sense, the summoning beasts of the Konoha Sannin might even surpass their masters—especially in large-scale battles, where sheer size and force can crush strategy.
Orochimaru's summon was Manda, the king of snakes from the Ryuchi Cave—one of the three great unexplored places of the shinobi world. Whether his strength was unmatched was unclear, but one thing was certain:
His appetite was enormous.
"Orochimaru... these offerings look tasty," Manda hissed lazily as his eyes swept over the children below, "but there aren't enough of them."
He tilted his massive head and coldly counted the little ones like grains of rice.
"Gah…"
Beiyuan looked up at the mountain-sized snake, feeling utterly humbled. This—this was the aura of a true top-tier summon.
Then he thought about himself.
In Konoha, a brat once spat at him and ran off. He couldn't do anything.
Out on the road, there was an old man who always scolded him for napping, for lazing around, for slacking. And he still couldn't fight back.
But maybe...
Just maybe, today was the turning point.
"Gah!"
Beiyuan flapped his wings and took to the sky dramatically—then stopped a moment later.
The snake was too big. Even if it attacked, flying that high wasn't needed...
Also... the boy's shoulder was comfortable.
Summoning beasts like Manda? Let Jiraiya handle them.
"Alright, alright, don't cry now," Itachi soothed the sniffling children around him. "We need to move. Quickly."
He suddenly felt a familiar weight land on his shoulder.
The crow yawned.
Seriously—how could it still be sleepy?
"You're amazing, Beiyuan," Itachi murmured, rubbing his companion's neck gently. "Just hold on. We'll be back in the village soon."
Seeing Beiyuan's sleepy comfort calmed the children a little—until they looked up and saw the enormous purple snake barreling toward them.
The ground trembled as Manda landed with a crushing slam. In a flash, it was standing before Itachi.
The boy's heart sank.
Jiraiya… couldn't stop it.
The Sannin were locked in a fierce hand-to-hand exchange. Orochimaru's goal was simple: stall Jiraiya, and let Manda grab Itachi.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, had too many thoughts—buy time, find a solution, convince Orochimaru to return…
But Manda had no such hesitation.
"This the brat Orochimaru wants?" the snake muttered. "Should be no problem eating him quietly…"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Itachi didn't hesitate. A massive fireball shot from his lips—only to splash against Manda like a spark on a boulder.
"Hey, kid," Manda sneered, "that's not even enough to warm my scales."
The giant serpent lunged.
Itachi gritted his teeth.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
He couldn't run. Behind him were crying children—kids with no chance of escaping in time.
The dragon-shaped flame screamed forward, but Manda twisted mid-air to avoid it. His serpentine body was too agile, and he wasn't about to take unnecessary burns.
"Hsss…"
"Sharingan: Genjutsu—Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes!"
Itachi's three-tomoe eyes flared to life. The illusion bound Manda's perception—nails piercing through his sense of self and freezing his movement for a brief moment.
It was enough.
The kids ran.
But how long would the genjutsu hold? How long could Itachi keep this up?
Beiyuan lifted off from Itachi's shoulder. A black orb condensed in his beak—
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
He launched it.
Manda twisted aside at the last second, and the bomb exploded in the mountains behind. Rocks shattered, trees vanished, and dust filled the air.
"…This crow!" Manda hissed, trembling.
"Gah…"
Beiyuan didn't even glance at him. He stared only at the boy on the ground, panting and exhausted.
Itachi's growth was fast—but he was still too young. His chakra was barely enough, and even though he had awakened the Sharingan, this was the first time he truly stood between life and death.
Still, to use illusion mid-battle... to hold Manda even for a second...
That was incredible.
"You, Sharingan brat!" Manda snapped, having broken free. "Hand over that crow, and I'll let the rest of you live!"
Beiyuan: "…"
One after another! First Orochimaru wanted the kid, now Manda wanted the crow?
Could these snakes stop with the predatory negotiations?
But Itachi stood up, teeth clenched.
"No," he said firmly.
Manda's eyes narrowed. "That crow is not something you deserve to keep."
Manda was more than just a massive creature. As a descendant of Ryuchi Cave, his perception was top-tier—far stronger than ordinary chakra sensors. He could feel the uniqueness in Beiyuan: the strange body, the bizarre chakra, the strange, ancient pressure.
Eat it, and he might evolve… even rival the White Snake Sage.
"Itachi!" Beiyuan called sharply.
Itachi understood. He nodded.
"Let's go!"
Beiyuan gathered chakra again—another Tailed Beast Bomb. Manda twisted and dodged, but the explosions shook the battlefield, carving massive craters into the forested earth.
Each dodge became harder. Each explosion louder.
"He has power," Manda hissed, avoiding another blast. "But it's so raw, so unrefined…"
Still, it was terrifying.
Beiyuan looked down at Itachi, who was still standing tall—protecting the children.
"Gah!"
He ordered the children to keep running. This fight was his now.
Thick and arrogant though he might be, Beiyuan had one truth: he was far from ordinary.
And Manda—
Manda would learn that today.