Uchiha Ran couldn't sleep.
The man who aspired to be a central air conditioner, warming every girl—maidens, married women, onee-sans, and imoutos alike—was lying awake in bed… all because of that single flash of snowy white.
How pathetic, Ran mocked himself inwardly.
Putting last night's heart-stopping incident aside, today was shaping up to be another relaxed and pleasant day.
Perhaps Orochimaru-sensei was especially interested in his newly accepted disciple. Early in the morning, he called Ran and Mitarashi Anko together and took them straight to the Forest of Death.
To Orochimaru, although both were his students, Uchiha Ran and Mitarashi Anko were fundamentally different.
Ran was a member of the Uchiha—the greatest clan in Konoha—possessing the enviable three-tomoe Sharingan. Powerful and sharp, he was not only Orochimaru's disciple, but more like a collaborator who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
Inside the laboratory, they could discuss experiments together, exchanging ideas as they explored the unknown.
Compared to Ran, Anko was far more innocent.
She hadn't been baptized by darkness, nor had she tasted separation and death. To her, the world—and the mysteries of ninjutsu—were still half-understood concepts.
Even so, that didn't diminish Anko's passion for the snake techniques she was about to learn.
It was obvious in her daily behavior: her fondness for snakes seemed innate. Every close interaction with them filled her with pure joy and excitement.
Mitarashi Anko was someone worthy of inheriting snake ninjutsu.
"So, Orochimaru-sensei… you brought me here just to watch you train snake techniques?"Ran looked utterly baffled. He had zero interest in that.
"No," Orochimaru replied calmly. "You're different from Anko. She's here to learn snake ninjutsu. You, on the other hand, are here to learn Summoning Jutsu."
As he spoke, Orochimaru produced a short scroll—from his mouth.
"Summoning Jutsu? A summoning technique… related to snakes?"Ran frowned, already knowing the answer but asking anyway.
"Ran-kun, you may not know this," Orochimaru said slowly, his voice echoing beside him,"but in this world, there are three sacred training grounds: Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave. Each is ruled by a great sage."
"…So why explain all that?" Ran asked.
"You're a smart child," Orochimaru continued. "In the ninja world, only these three places can teach Sage Mode."
Seeing the spark of interest in Ran's eyes, Orochimaru went on:
"You're an Uchiha, possessing the Sharingan. The senjutsu of Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest doesn't suit you. The one most compatible with you is Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu."
"Sage techniques…?" Ran asked. "Is that related to the summoning I'm learning today?"
"It is," Orochimaru nodded. "To learn Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu, the first requirement is qualifying for a contract with Ryūchi Cave's summon beasts. The second is sufficient talent."
"Orochimaru-sensei!"Anko raised her hand eagerly, eyes shining."Can I learn Summoning Jutsu too? What exactly is it?"
"Summoning Jutsu is calling your contracted beasts to fight alongside you," Orochimaru said with a smile, gently patting Anko's head.
Anko clearly enjoyed the affection. In her memories, her father had never touched her so gently before.
"Then, Sensei," Anko asked curiously, "do you know the sages of Ryūchi Cave?"
"Of course I do~"Orochimaru smiled at his disciples.
Is this really Orochimaru?To outsiders, he was always cold and expressionless.
But perhaps this was the real Orochimaru.Maybe he had never been truly cold—maybe there was warmth in his heart after all.
At least, in Anko's eyes, aside from yesterday's test, Orochimaru-sensei had always been gentle.
"Anko," Orochimaru asked, "do you want to learn Summoning Jutsu?"
"Yes! I'll do whatever Sensei says!" she answered without hesitation.
"Good girl. When you're older, I'll teach you. For now, your chakra reserves are too small."
Meanwhile, Ran accepted the scroll from Orochimaru.
"Ugh… that's disgusting."The scroll was damp and slippery, making Ran grimace.
"A scroll that comes out of someone's mouth—how does anyone endure this?"
Unrolling the summoning contract, Ran signed his name beneath Orochimaru's.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Following Orochimaru's instructions, Ran formed seals rapidly with both hands and slammed his palm onto the ground.
A massive, pitch-black sealing array spread beneath him.
"…This feeling—!"
Sensing something wrong, Orochimaru grabbed Anko and vanished with a Body Flicker.
BOOM!
A colossal serpent erupted beneath Ran's feet.
"Of course… it's Manda again," Orochimaru muttered from afar."This guy is always so enthusiastic whenever there's a summoning."
Seeing Ran summon Manda, Orochimaru didn't look surprised at all.
"Orochimaru!"Manda's voice thundered."Have the fifty human sacrifices been prepared?!"
Clearly, Manda was not easy to deal with.
"I'm Orochimaru-sama's disciple," Ran shouted from atop the snake's head."You beast—what's your name?!"
Manda instantly flew into a rage.
Who does this brat think he is?!If it were the White Snake Sage or the Three Great Snake Princesses, fine—but a mere human dared speak to him like this?
Worse—he hadn't even offered a tribute!
Enraged, Manda violently snapped his head upward, flinging Ran high into the air.
"I'll teach this brat a lesson! Summoning Lord Manda comes at a terrible price—without benefits, why would I bother showing up?!"
But as Ran was hurled skyward, Manda caught sight of those crimson Sharingan eyes.
…?!
"U-Uchiha…? An accursed Uchiha?!"
The moment he saw the Sharingan, Manda knew something was terribly wrong.
Damn it—am I about to become another Uchiha's rage puppet?!
Having lived long in Ryūchi Cave, Manda understood the ninja world well.Once controlled by the Sharingan, he would have no ability to resist.
And yet—he had fallen into it so easily. That shouldn't have happened.
That despicable Uchiha!He only said he was Orochimaru's disciple—he never mentioned being an Uchiha!
Ran landed once more atop Manda's head. Looking down at the serpent's stiff, immobilized body, he spoke calmly:
"Honored snake of Ryūchi Cave… for the sake of your reputation, I'm sure you wouldn't want to be missing two very important parts, would you?"
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