The next day, after finishing his training.
Setsuna stopped Hiruzen and spoke earnestly, "Hiruzen-sensei, I'd like to ask for five days of personal training leave. I might even need to leave the village for a bit."
When traveling to a new world, he'd have to stay there for at least one year, but there was no upper limit. Just to be safe, he decided to ask for five days off.
"Is the Hokage asking you, Setsuna, to assassinate some big-shot?" Hiruzen instinctively jumped to a conclusion, but he agreed readily. "No problem at all. Take as much time as you need for your training. No rush, I have complete faith in you."
Setsuna returned home, removed his weighted gear, and placed it back into his Omni-Capsule. At the same time, he took out the Senzu Beans and put them on his person.
The deep impression left by his last world-hop meant he had to be completely prepared before setting out.
After adjusting his mindset, Setsuna activated his next journey.
The moment he opened his eyes again, Setsuna was greeted by thick clouds. A sudden sensation of weightlessness gripped him, pulling him downward.
"Of course, it's the sky again. Is this the world's malicious intent?" Setsuna couldn't help but sigh, grateful he had learned the Bukyūjutsu (Floating/Sky Dance Technique) in the Dragon Ball world.
Setsuna steadied himself and began to observe the world below.
"Whoa, what a giant forest." Setsuna was quite surprised. He was at a high altitude, so the world below should have appeared tiny, but the forest's sheer size was anything but small.
Before Setsuna could ponder this further, a sudden gale erupted in the sky. Caught off guard, Setsuna tumbled a few times and only managed to stabilize himself by pouring all his effort into the Bukyūjutsu.
"What in the world is going on?" Setsuna was truly shocked. Even a Super Typhoon wouldn't make him this frantic. What kind of wind was this world dealing with?
Setsuna squinted, noticing that the forest below was being ripped out of the ground and flung into the air, along with countless bizarre creatures.
These creatures were strangely shaped, yet universally huge—impossibly large.
Setsuna could clearly sense that many of these beings were far stronger than he was, yet they didn't dare resist. They merely knelt, howling and wailing in despair.
Setsuna struggled to keep his footing, then turned and looked up at the sky above. He was horrified to discover a black hole hanging in the firmament.
"No, that's not a black hole..." Setsuna widened his eyes, barely making out the hole's true form. "It's the mouth of a colossal python—a World Serpent big enough to wrap around the entire planet!"
"Giant creatures, and an absolutely massive python... Damn it, am I in the Gourmet World from Toriko?" Setsuna's face darkened. The Toriko universe was undoubtedly a high-power world.
With his current strength, appearing in the Human World wouldn't be too big a problem, but here in the Gourmet World, any powerful creature could kill him. To be dropped right in front of the Mother Snake (King Serpent) was the world's will actively trying to kill him.
"I have to escape!" Setsuna had no thought of fighting. The Mother Snake is 220,000 kilometers long and weighs $1.5 \times 10^{18}$ metric tons. Even on this Gourmet Planet, which is 659 times the size of Earth, she is an apocalyptic-level monster.
Forget him, even if Vegeta showed up, he'd be running for his life.
---
However, it was hard enough just stabilizing himself. Trying to escape this area against the wind was simply impossible.
"What can I do? Wait until it finishes eating?" The thought surfaced in Setsuna's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Given the Mother Snake's size, its feeding could last for years. He couldn't hold out that long.
"At this point, I have to try even the most desperate measure." Setsuna gritted his teeth, bit his finger, and began the Summoning Jutsu.
Even in a different universe, the Ten Thousand World Bead thoughtfully provided a spatial service, allowing for cross-universe summoning. The consequence, however, was that the summoned creature would also be stuck here for at least one year.
"Hee hee, remember, that'll be 50—wait, what in the hell is this place?" The moment Manda was summoned, he let out a shriek and was spun violently away.
Setsuna desperately grabbed onto the serpent's tail, but the pair slowly drifted toward the "black hole."
"Thanks..." Manda's mind was reeling, and it took a moment for him to process. "Wait, why am I thanking you? What is this place?"
"Don't worry about that right now. Look up! That giant snake might be a distant relative of yours. Try to see if you can communicate with it," Setsuna said, out of options. He could only hope the Mother Snake would be interested in a serpent it had never seen before, maybe even letting Manda "marry in."
"A big snake? I'm finished!" Guided by Setsuna, Manda barely made out the giant python's head and immediately began twitching in terror.
He was considered giant in Ryūchi Cave, measuring over fifty meters, but that size wasn't even the tip of the giant python's tongue. He wouldn't even be a proper snack.
"I'll communicate your #@$%!" Manda instantly cursed. The gap between him and this colossal snake was greater than the gap between him and an earthworm. How could they possibly converse?
"I want to go back!" Manda shrieked, trying to end the summoning, but realized with despair that he couldn't return.
"What is this place? Why can't I go back?"
Setsuna sneered, "You don't have a choice now. Go and try to communicate with it."
Manda was furious, but he had no choice but to imitate the alluring tone of the Three Snake Sages of Ryūchi Cave, shouting loudly: "Oh, Serpent God! I am a serpent from Ryūchi Cave. I have long admired you and wish to become your honored consort!"
Setsuna was stunned. He had only suggested Manda "marry in," but this fool was aiming straight for the Mother Snake herself! This wasn't a small horse pulling a big cart; this was a tiny snake trying to pull a planet!
The strong wind paused for a moment. A look of delight flashed in Manda's eyes, but in the next instant, the wind speed increased tenfold.
"It didn't work, of course, but it proved one thing: the language is the same," Setsuna sighed.
Seeing that even he was about to be sucked into the serpent's stomach, Setsuna decisively let go.
"Chigyo Setsuna!" Manda roared in desperation, using all his strength to hook his tail and drag Setsuna to death with him.
Under the ferocious gale, Setsuna barely managed to dodge, but his waist pouch was slapped away by Manda, spilling all the Senzu Beans.
Setsuna quickly recovered most of them, but two Senzu Beans were still swept away by the storm.
The next moment, the gale suddenly slowed down significantly.
"What's going on? Is it getting full... Wait, the Senzu Beans!" Setsuna suddenly realized.
A powerhouse like Super Saiyan 2 Goku can heal all his injuries with one Senzu Bean, while someone weak like Yajirobe can eat multiple Senzu Beans for a full meal. This suggests that Senzu Beans restore health and stamina based on a percentage.
He hadn't considered this because of the vast difference in size between the Mother Snake and a Senzu Bean—it was impossible to make the connection.
Setsuna didn't hesitate to be generous. He grabbed a handful of Senzu Beans and threw them out.
In his anxious wait, the strong wind finally stopped.
"Phew. I really have Manda to thank for this," Setsuna exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.